Praedari Magica: The Hunters of Magic
by Blazorna aka Kamen Rider Thorn
Summary: The government is secretly aware of the existence of witches and magical girls, and are seen as threats. To eliminate both, Welkin was formed. They send out those who hunt Magical Girl and Witch alike without magic. For better or worse, the Praedari have joined the Incubator's cycle. OC-centric for now. rated M for language, violence and mild adult themes. SYOC Open
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Puella Magi series. All rights are held by Magical Quartet and Aniplex. This story is for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit.**

* * *

_The Civilis_

* * *

I opened up one of many wood cabinets, taking one of the glass cups stored inside. My feet dragged against the linoleum as I walked towards the sink with glass in hand. I turned on the faucet and filled my glass up with water. After turning off the tap, I turned around to look at the evening newspaper that laid on the kitchen counter.

Once again the front page was devoted to the same subjects that has been occurring for over the past three weeks, a massive increase of unexplainable deaths and people disappearing at the same time, especially young teenage girls.

It was so damn frustrating that they are still running around in circles about this. Disappearances and death are a daily thing, as much as people refuse to admit. But still, it pisses me off even more that there hasn't been a single lead in the disappearances.

My little sister was one of the young girls who have vanished without a trace. I was a teenage boy who was a first year in high school, but for a while, the fucking police saw me as a damned suspect. I would never do something so heinous to the only person I cared for as family. To make things worse, this isn't the first time it happened to me! I don't understand why I have to go through so much shit for the first place!

Our parents were not remotely good to begin with for as long as I could remember. Dad was an alcoholic bastard that beaten the shit out of me for anything that pissed him off, especially if I even partially blocked the view of the television. He did things like slamming my face into the coffee table, hitting me in the back of the head with a mirror, or attempting to put a lit cigarette to my eye. I got lucky with the last one. He was so drunk that he missed completely, instead getting me in the collarbone.

My mother was a shameless whore who didn't even give my sister or myself a second glance. As far as she was concerned, neither of us existed. She cooked for only herself and that fucking drunk. Whenever she went out with out warning, she was gone for days. And when she returned, usually nearly nude, naturally she and Dad got into an argument the moment she came back.

I had hard times myself personally outside of home. I was always one who didn't like playing with others the same age as me, mainly because I was so pessimistic. I refused to cooperate with others, and the same was applied to them. For years there was this one guy who furthered isolated me through bullying. I tried telling the teachers but they just brushed me aside, saying that it wasn't anything to worry about. When it was graduation day from elementary school, He humiliated in front of me by pulling my pants and underwear down when it was time for me to get my diploma. I retaliated by the only way I thought worked best then.

I slammed my tormentor's face into a steel chair, breaking his nose and knocking out five of his front teeth in the process. I know now that it was the wrong thing to do, but sometimes, the only way to drive the message home loud and clear is by example. I regret doing that now, but a little part of me still takes satisfaction in that.

Normally, someone who had that kind of shitty childhood would likely become delinquents, but I had my little sister to keep me straight. We comforted each other whenever something bad happened. She showed me that not everything in this world was a living hell. Unlike me, she was loved by everyone in school and was brilliant. Even though she was only one year younger in age, I looked up to her as a role model. She was the only person I could truly call family.

On my sister's fourteenth birthday, everything changed.

That morning , I awoke to perhaps the biggest shock of my life. My bastard father turned into a caring person who praised me while mom was cooking for four and doted me and her as if she's been doing it all the time. The way they acted were essentially polar opposites of their normal selves. I didn't understand what was happening, but I could tell that this wasn't natural. It left me very uneasy.

My sister however, enjoyed in our parents' turnaround, like it was some kind of dream come true. Not wanting to ruin the occasion, I kept my mouth shut about how I felt.

This new lifestyle lasted for about half a year, in which even I began to enjoy a little. It felt like some unseen force granted my sister's wish. However, like my parents, my sister too began to change.

At first she and I were inseparable outside of school, but after her birthday, she and I gradually became more and more distant, mainly in part to her leaving without warning so often.

And just when I thought I could finally trust my parents, fate had other ideas. That night, one of Mom's flings came over, obsessed with her to the point that he killed her and then himself. Devastated by this, Dad committed suicide soon after. That was what the police told me a few weeks later after I came home to see three corpses.

I shook my head to come back to my senses. I had a busy day tomorrow and the last thing I need was to have nightmares again.

I looked down at the paper once more before I turned and left the kitchen.

* * *

**Prologue : The Hunter Who Trusts**

* * *

_The Praedari_

* * *

The dying roar of a witch reverberated throughout the air as the wards dissolved at a rapid pace, the abyssal white realm being replaced with the pitch black interior of an abandoned warehouse . My outfit blended into the darkness perfectly except for one accessory I wore.

I smirked as I saw the monstrosity dissolve in front of me while lowering my handgun. I raised my free hand up to press a button of the helmet I currently donned.

"This is Praedari Alpha, confirming that the enemy target has been neutralized." I reported calmly. "The primary objectives have escaped due to interference by the enemy."

"Praedari Delta here, don't worry Alpha, I secured them both." I heard Delta say in her amused voice. "I had to use some force to subdue them. Nothing life threatening, I made sure of that."

"What are the condition of their gems?" I questioned.

Silence came from the other end for several seconds before I heard the sound of gunfire in the distance, eliciting a groan out of me before I heard sobbing from the other end.

"Just slightly murky, sir." Delta reported with a sigh. "What should we do with them?"

"Bring them along." I ordered. "They will be of use to the organization in one way or another."

"Sheesh… I would suggest taking the eggs and leave them, but orders are orders." Delta said callously. "Do you want to make some kind of harem or something?"

"Shut the fuck up, Narumi…" I said venomously, addressing Delta by her real name.

"Heh, struck a nerve there I see." my subordinate said in amusement. "I'll take good care of your new pets."

"They're humans, don't treat them like that!" I shouted into the microphone.

"Oh please, we both know that they're not humans anymore. They're only monsters." Delta said bluntly. "Remember, by doing this, you're going against the government's expectations to eliminate all these monsters."

"Those monsters are called witches, Delta…" I corrected her. "The girls are capable of reason, so they can be of use."

Damn woman just cares about getting a fucking paycheck and killing things.

"I'll tag your pets and send them to your pen. This makes three little bitches now, correct?"

"Alpha out…" I said before severing the connection. It pissed me off, but Delta had a point there.

The Welkin was an organization that was formed in response to the unseen monsters called witches. The person who revealed their existence to the higher ups addressed herself as a Maho Shojo, or as I know better as, magical girl, forty five years ago. She explained everything she knew about them and of magical girls. Her hopes were to get the government to help her out, but instead, she effectively made both Witches and Magical Girls threats to national security. The magical girl was captured and studied. It became apparent that the "magic" she could use was able to be harnessed and replicated, thanks to a prototype generator built to produce some kind of theoretical neo-nuclear energy that was safe for the environment.

With that, the Welkin was formed, tasked with the elimination of both magical girls and witches alike. I was trained at a young age to be a Praedari, someone who hunts down such targets. Normally, most people are incapable of even seeing a witch, let alone fight one. I am no exception to this fact. But over the years, Welkin developed technology and weapons that allowed someone to be able to effectively fight the witches, and to secure any magical girl they come across. Protocol dictates that whenever a Praedari encounters a magical girl, they are to immediately collect or destroy their soul gems at any cost. That or allow the witch to eliminate them first.

Originally, I thought the magical girls as only the enemy. But when I went on my first mission, I learned that there was more to them than I realized. I remember how helpless she was against the witch she fought against. I was told that they were monsters. She was desperately crying out for help.

I don't know if it was out of curiosity or my tendency of helping someone when they're in trouble, but at that moment I threw caution to the wind and save the magical girl. The fight was intense, leading to me becoming seriously injured at one point, but I managed to weaken the witch enough for the magical girl to finish the job.

What completely shattered my illusion of her being a monster was her using her magic to heal my injuries. While doing that, she introduced herself and thanked me for saving her life. She explained that she was a rookie and that was her first fight.

I actually felt a little guilty when I told her that I was to deal with her as well. However, her face showed no fear, instead she gave me her soul gem without hesitation, all the while saying that she could entrust her life to me.

I was honestly taken back and perplexed by this gesture. She went on to explain that she was an orphan all her life that nobody wanted. Her wish that made her a magical girl was to meet someone who trusted her. Apparently, she believed I was that very person she wished for.

I felt compelled for some reason to take her in after learning that, even though she was one year older than me. Although I was told to eliminate the magical girls as a threat, Welkin had no qualms of how they were dealt with. Most accomplish this through direct elimination, but I figured that I can exploit that hidden loophole a little by taking in the magical girls that had no place to call home, under the pretense of interrogation if the superiors asked. Praedari work in pairs or small groups, so I had to do a lot of convincing to have my so called partner-slash-subordinate, Delta, to go along with my plan. With her, money and violence talks. I lied to her a little, saying that I intended to use the girls I recruited as soldiers.

Most of the magical girls I've encountered since then had families. Since I didn't want to raise suspicions on both ends, I decided to release them while making it look it was an escape on the girls' end. Luckily, Praedari are free to do whatever they want, so as long they bring in grief seeds as proof they have been doing their job.

I looked over to where the still disintegrating corpse of the witch was. I slowly walked over and grinned upon noticing what I was hoping to see before putting my firearm into its holster at my side.

The grief seed rested on the ground, standing perfectly straight on the bottom point. I knelt down and examined it as my mind became lost in thought. What purpose does Welkin have for grief seeds exactly? Unlike magical girls, our abilities as Praedari aren't restrained by soul gems, instead it's by ammunition and one's own physical limits. We're technically incapable of using magic, having to rely on technology to fight instead.

I looked down at the simple cobalt blue armband that I donned on my left arm over the black combat suit I currently wore. The armband is what identifies us as Praedari. It isn't extravagant at all, simply just a smooth metal tube covered in some kind of colored enamel. The only noticeable feature on it was the small almost black gem embedded in the center.

These otherwise bland armbands have an ability one would say is supernatural, with each one was unique to the Praedari it belongs to. Mine is capable of assimilating soul gems into it for storage, or expel it only at my command. Also any that are stored won't be destroyed as long as they're imbedded. My partner found that out behind my back one day by firing at the gem with her gun. The gem that was present on the armband belonged to that magical girl who entrusted me with her soul gem. The normally light blue jewel that glowed was so murky that I snapped back to reality, recalling that a dim, black gem was very bad.

She wasn't that far away, since she could only be in the range of a hundred meters or so. I picked up the grief seed and rose to my feet, turning around and running out of the warehouse I was in.

"Izumi-san!" I cried out into the built in microphone, attempting to get the magical girl's attention.

"Busy here with a familiar!" I heard her voice cry out on the other end.

"Fall back, your gem's almost black!" I warned her.

"Already?!" Izumi cried out incredulously.

"I got a Seed, but I can't use it for you!" I reminded her. "I don't want you to die on me."

"Okay, I'll come immediately." she said submissively before the line went dead.

"I am heading towards the rendezvous point, I'll meet you there." I informed her while moving double time.

Ever since I've taken her in, Izumi had been a valuable ally in fighting witches. In a sense, I had a kind of collar and leash on the magical girl because she gave me her soul gem, but I never forced her to do whatever I wanted. She volunteered to support me and Delta in exchange that we provided her food and shelter. A fair enough trade in my opinion.

The sounds of my boots hitting the pavement echoed throughout the air as I moved onwards. Now that I think about it. If one was to look at how I dressed, I would resemble that of a Rider or Ranger, with how the suit was designed.

The suit for men was basically a skintight black bodysuit with built in armor that was smooth yet contoured to my chest with dome like shoulder pads. The arms and legs also had protective armor, but naturally the joints weren't covered to allow better maneuverability. The helmets encased our entire heads, our faces hidden behind blackened visors that concealed our identities with buttons where the ears were for communication. To complete the outfit was a utility belt of sorts that we used to hold extra ammo and other gear in the field, even the silver ovoid buckle itself served a purpose. If we were to perish, the bomb within buckle was to detonate, eliminating all traces of the deceased Preadari from the world. The only object that clashed with the all black outfit was the armband, but it couldn't be helped.

The female version was pretty much the same, but the designers must have been perverts, as the chest plates all contour to the breasts to a point that it was almost like a second skin. Not that I'm complaining.

I reached the rendezvous point to see a girl coming my way.

The girl had flowing blonde hair that was held up in twin tails with black bows. Her pale white skin illuminated in the moonlight as her green eyes glistened like emeralds. For a girl of fifteen years, she had an above average bust.

Her attire was of a formfitting sleeveless top that was black with gold trimming with a black pleated miniskirt that stopped midthigh. The center of her top had a gold ring in the middle, as if it was missing something. Her arms were covered in black sleeved gloves that stopped near the shoulders, with two light blue gems surrounded by a golden ring, each on the back of each hand. Her matching boots went up to her knees with a gold line running down the middle of the front. Her right ear brandished an ear mounted headset that was jet black in color with a downwards protrusion that held the microphone. Within her grasp was a thin black trident with golden prongs and a blue oval gem in the center of the head of the weapon.

I ran over towards Izumi with grief seed in hand still. We both stopped once we were close to each other and nodded in silence. She held out an open hand which I handed over the grief seed to before holding up the armband to my chest. Izumi held the black sphere over the armband as a miasma was drawn out of the dim soul gem and into the sphere. As it was purified, the almost black gem began to become a more vibrant blue and emitted a soft glow when it was completely cleansed.

Izumi sighed in relief as she smiled.

"Arigato. That was really close." she said in gratitude before holding out the grief seed. "I think it can be used a few more times before you have to turn it in."

"Perfect, Delta managed to secure those two magical girls we encountered earlier." I replied while accepting the grief seed and putting it into a pouch on the left side of my belt. " What happened with that familiar you were dealing with?"

"I had to let it go, since you told me that my gem was almost black." Izumi said with a sigh. "I hope I don't regret this.."

"We didn't have much of a choice." I reassured her. "It was either some lousy familiar or risk losing you."

Izumi blushed slightly before averting her gaze from me for a moment. She fidgeted in place for a moment before she knelt down to pick up her weapon.

"I-I…appreciate the concern." she said timidly.

I reached for my helmet and pressed a button at the bottom of it on the left side, causing the chin guard to split and recede into the helmet for removal.

My ruby red eyes illuminated in the light of the full moon as I looked at the magical girl before shaking my head, forcing my currently unruly black hair to settle downwards a little, before smiling. It wasn't that long in length, but enough to suffer helmet hair. Like Izumi, I had pale skin that was easy to see in moonlight, allowing .

"We're teammates, remember?" I said before holding my helmet to the side. "Gotta look out for one another."

"Oh… O-Of course…" Izumi said with a look of disappointment on her face.

I looked at her in confusion before I saw Delta, still donning the helmet carrying two protesting, flailing girls, clad in only their underwear, over her shoulders like sacks of potatoes. Once she came close towards Izumi and myself, she shook her head before looking down on me. She was an adult of twenty five years, therefore taller than the rest of us.

"About time you showed up." I commented while narrowing my eyes.

"Bite me Alpha, here're the little monsters." Delta scoffed before unceremoniously dropped the girls to the ground.

"Dammit! Didn't I tell you already to treat them like regular people!" I reprimanded my partner.

"Oi…They're not humans anymore, Alpha…" she retorted.

"We have a familiar on the loose still, so you go find it. I'll look after the magical girls in the mean time." I said to my partner.

"Fine…_sir_." she said dryly before giving me the finger.

Delta has never held me in high regard due to me being much younger than her, yet be her superior as well as my methods of dealing with magical girls. The reason that I was in charge was because I was the more level headed of the two, since she was trigger happy and frequently reckless in how to approach Witches. Basically, shoot first, ask questions later.

My partner turned and walked away, grabbing the rifle that was hanging from her side and undid the safety as she vanished behind a shipping container.

I turned my attention down towards the two girls who looked up at me in fear.

"I apologize for how my partner treated you. We don't exactly see eye to eye." I said in a calm tone.

"What are you going to do to us?" one of the two asked . She had violet eyes and brown hair that was held in a short ponytail with a red hair band, in addition to having the average figure of a fifteen year old.

"It depends on a few questions I have for you." I replied before kneeling down in front of them setting my helmet to the side. "First off, what are your names?"

"I-Itou Nozomi…" the brunette replied, her voice betraying her fear.

"Enoshima Fuuko." the other one said before gulping nervously. She had pink hair and soft blue eyes, and unlike Nozomi, she was of a petite build, but a little bustier in comparison.

I nodded before reaching into my pouch to pull out the grief seed. The two girls looked at me incredulously before turning their attention towards the blackish sphere

"I was told your soul gems were a little murky, and this can still be used a few more times." I said. "After I'm finished with my questions, I'll allow you both to use to clean your gems."

Both Fuuko and Nozomi looked at me once more with shocked faces as I replaced the grief seed into the pouch.

"Why?" Fuuko asked.

"To prove that I am not your enemy." I replied while closing my eyes for a moment. "You see, you two had the unfortunate luck to run into us tonight. I understand that you were most likely after the grief seed, but I was after it too, but for different reasons. It's for my…job, for lack of better terms."

"But we need it more than you then!" Nozomi said in a panic. "If we can't purify our gems, we're going to…"

"Become witches. I know all about that." I finished for her in a firm tone. "My job is to exterminate witches and to prevent new ones from forming, at any cost." to emphasize my point, I pulled out my gun and pointed it at them while keeping a stoic face.

The two girls both began trembling in fear as I looked at them. My face gradually softened as I lowered my firearm.

"The others that work for the same organization as myself would kill you both without a second thought, as they all see you as monsters. Just because of the single fact that magical girls turn into witches." I explained before putting my gun away. "I however, don't because I know you are humans."

"So…what are you going to do with us then?" Fuuko asked, still nervous of what could happen to her.

"That leads to my second question, Do either of you have families or friends that care for you?" I asked bluntly, ignoring the question.

Both girls gave me different looks, One of sadness, the other anger.

"I-I lost my family when I was much younger…" Fuuko said solemnly.

"I have a bastard dad that always treated me like shit every day…" Nozomi said, her voice dripping with venom as she clenched her fists. "I don't want to go back to him…"

"I see…" I said softly before looking at Fuuko. "I'm sorry for your loss, Enoshima-san."

"Arigato…" the pinkette said softly while giving me a ghost of a smile.

" Now for the third question. Do you want to fight the cycle?" I asked next.

Both of the girls looked at me in confusion.

"May I elaborate for them?" I heard Izumi ask from behind me.

"Knock yourself out." I said with a smile.

"He's talking about how Kyubey tricks girls like us into those contracts." the blonde stated, causing both Nozomi and Fuuko to look at us before both of them looked down at the ground, both immediately saddened as they remember their encounters with Kyubey. "To him, we are simply nothing more than cattle. He continuously entices others into becoming magical girls so as to ensure that witches continue to exist so grief seeds can be harvested. "

"As far as we know, this could have been going on ever since the dawn of humanity." I added with a sigh.

"While I still have to partake in this cycle as a magical girl by eliminating witches, the organization my friend here works here may have a means to break it." Izumi pointed out. Both of the other Magical Girls looked at me in confusion.

"I don't know the details why, but my superiors want me to collect grief seeds and either obtain or destroy the Soul Gems of magical girls in order to remove the threat of them becoming Witches. I am strictly told to turn in any and all grief seeds I collect, regardless if they've been used by magical girls or not. However, soul gems are mine to keep." I explained.

Both Nozomi and Fuuko looked at me in fear before I smiled once more.

"You see, I only have collected only one soul gem, in which it's my friend Izumi's. As you can see, she's still very much alive." I pointed out. " I got it because she entrusted me with it."

"He's speaking the truth." Izumi confirmed as she blushed a little. "He saved my life when we first met, so… I owe him my life for what he did."

"Okay… but that doesn't answer my question." Fuuko stated with a frown.

"About what I plan to do with you?" I said before smiling. " All that depends on your answers to the one I just asked and the next one."

"In that case, my answer is 'Yes, I would.'" Fuuko said with a sigh.

"Same here." Nozomi added.

"Alright, my next, and final, question is this: Are you willing to work for me?" I asked.

"What will happen if we say no?" Nozomi asked.

"I'll let you go, provided that you move to another town." I replied bluntly.

Both girls looked at me with stupefied looks on their faces.

"However," I said, emphasizing the word while holding a finger up. "If you agree, I will take you in and provide shelter and food. The only price will be that you'll have to surrender your soul gem to me for safe keeping."

"Why would we have to do that?!" Fuuko cried out in disbelief. "I would essentially be handing you my very life!"

"I won't deny that, but it's mainly so that I can protect your gem from my partner or others. Don't worry, even if I hang on to it, you can still use your magic like normal." I countered while looking at the two magical girls with a firm look on my face. "If not, you could be killed at any moment around her."

"I…I see…" Fuuko said in defeat, looking downtrodden by what she just heard.

"I can guarantee your survival if you can trust me." I reassured her.

"So… We can either flee and go to another town, or stay and be enslaved…" Nozomi said with a sigh.

I brought my hands to my face and groaned loudly.

"Dammit… I hate it when people think of my proposal like that." I said in annoyance. " I am offering you a home and safety from the very same organization I work for, all in exchange for your cooperation with hunting witches!"

"Okay…" the brunette said skeptically.

"How would we deal with grief seeds?" Fuuko asked in curiosity.

"I won't have all of you fight the witches at the same time, so as to prevent your gems from becoming polluted so quickly. Basically, you'll all take turns hunting for witches alongside me. I will turn them in after you use the grief seeds. As for the other two, I'll take the soul gems with you, but leave your bodies at my place. It's not like you'll die if you're separated from your bodies. They will simply fall into a deep sleep when your soul gem is out of the range of a hundred meters. Your bodies will be in a death like state, but will be perfectly fine, Don't worry, they'll be safe once they're part of my armband." I replied before holding up the armband to show the slightly unnerved girls.

" I know this looks like a piece of junk, but the gem that's attached to it is Izumi-san's soul gem. I don't know why, but my armband can store soul gems and they're almost invulnerable once stored. It can take a bullet and still be perfectly safe. However, the drawback is that they'll become murkier more than usual whenever you use your magic. Which is why I won't have you all deal with the witch directly if possible and only one at a time."

"What about for us to transform? We need our gems to do that." Nozomi questioned.

"Another beauty of this armband, It can allow you to transform without it in your possession, though wherever the gem winds up will be missing from your outfit." I answered. "In a way, I eliminate your weak point when you do fight. However, that too will speed up the accumulation of impurities."

"The more I hear about this, the more appealing your offer sounds…" Fuuko admitted.

"I have to agree." Nozomi said in agreement before chuckling a little. "To be honest, I'm tired of going from town to town because I'm always chased off by some rival magical girl over territory. If I have to be on a leash to, so be it. "

"So, what are your answers?" I asked while frowning a bit at what I just heard.

"I'll accept your offer, provided you tell me your name as well as your friend." the brunette said.

"I'm with Nozi-chan on this." Fuuko added.

I couldn't help but laugh when I realized that they were absolutely right. All this time talking, and I haven't given them my name.

"Gomen, where are my manners?" I said while palming my forehead before clearing my throat. "I am known in my organization as Praedari Alpha, but my name is Sakamichi Shotaro. My friend is Goto Izumi."

"Nice to meet you." Izumi said while bowing out of respect.

Once the long overdue introductions were out of the way, I looked over at Izumi before turning my attention towards Fuuko and Nozomi with a smile.

"I greatly appreciate that you've took me up on my offer. I'll do my best to support you both as your guardian." I said wholeheartedly.

"As long as you don't treat us like slaves…or pets…" Nozomi warned while glaring at me. "Or even servants."

"Not this again!" I groaned before sighing.

I know that what I'm doing is both right yet unacceptable in many different ways. I am essentially preparing to revolt against this vicious, unending cycle that I'm not supposed to get involved with in the first place. At the same time, going against what I was trained to do for a belief.

"He's here… up on top of that container to our right." Izumi said in a whisper.

I looked over to where she said and saw nothing. I then knelt down and picked up the helmet, placing it back on. Immediately I looked at the same spot again and saw what I had expected through the visor.

The one that was technically my true enemy. The instigator who keeps the endless cycle running through his deceit and manipulation. All because he views humanity as mere animals.

The Incubator…

Kyubey.

* * *

_"I fail to comprehend by what you mean by that."_

_"You expect me to believe that we can domesticate those freaks?"_

_"I didn't expect this."_

_"You brought this upon yourself…"_

_"Why do I collect soul gems? It's because of what I can do with them."_

_" You have new orders, Alpha."_

_"I am both a Praedari, and a Magical Girl."_

_"What is your choice,?"_

_There are times that we must trust those we don't know. Sometimes, that trust is misplaced when you need it most._

Next Time: Can I Trust You?

* * *

Hello everyone, and thank you for checking out Praedari Magica. I hope that this story lived up to any expectations you had. I know that OC-centric fanfics aren't usually the most popular, let alone those written in first person, so it is nice to know that you were at least willing to give this story a chance. I did the best I could with finding errors since I don't have a beta for this story. But naturally there will be quite a few still, so I apologize for that. This story is a bit of an experiment based upon a "What If" scenario I thought up where the government is aware of what is going on, and how they would respond.

While the entire prologue was in first person, I may alternate between third and first, depending on the situation.

As for me using canon characters besides Kyubey, (I too wish to drop a nuke on that little bastard thirty times over.) I am a little uncomfortable using them right from the start, as I've only read all the manga that had been released officially for retail in North America, but not seen the anime. As such, I apologize if there's any inconsistencies.

Now onto what will be perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story. If you have an OC you'd like to appear, I am willing to have him/her show up as either a recurring character or a one time cameo. However I will have some guidelines for you to follow.

1. Your OC can't be anything like _'the strongest magical girl to ever exist'_ or _'an agent of Goddess Madoka_.'

2. If you're submitting a male OC, they have to not be able to use magic. (No magical boys in other words). They can be a Praedari if you'd like them to join the fights. Just remember, Praedari are normal humans in peak physical state, with no superhuman powers at all that aren't from the armband Praedari wear.

3. Any and all OC's cannot have any connection of any kind with any canon characters, excluding magical girls contracted to Kyubey.

4. Untill further notice, there is a four character limit per person. If you do it through an anonymous review, MAKE SURE you have some kind of title to go by.

submit an OC, please follow the provided outline

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Gender:**

**Appearance: **Include physical traits in addition to clothing

**Personality:**

**Orientation: **(as in being straight, bi, or gay/lesbian)

**Faction: Praedari/Civilis (Civilian)/ Magical Girl/Witch**

**Bio:**

For OC's that are to be a Magical Girl (Disregard if OC is male or is to remain a normal human)

**Magical Girl Outfit :**

**Magic Type:**

**Weapon(s):**

**Attacks: **(name if any with description of how the attack works)

**Cooperative or Loner:**

**Wish:**

For those interested in their OC being a Praedari.

**Praedari Call Name**: (Can be any letter from the Greek Alphabet besides Alpha and Delta.)

**Weapon of choice**: (can be anything, except anything that would be considered overkill, like tanks, nukes, etc. )

**Partner preference**: ( optional, but it will be helpful to give me info on what kind of partner would work best. Keep in mind, this won't be guaranteed so your OC may wind up stuck with the exact opposite.)

**View on Magical Girls**: (It can be anything besides seeing them as enemies or allies. For example, they can be seen as like potential candidates for a harem or as the next stage in human evolution. Sky's the limit.)

**Armband ability**: ( Only forbidden abilities are allowing the Praedari to generate and use their own magic without a contract with Kyubey and having the armband transform or augment the owner's body in any way physically. The armband turning into armor, equipment that enables flight, or some form of arm mounted weapon or shield is allowed though.)

Please send submissions through either a PM with the subject title as "Praedari Magica Submission" or in your review.

I am looking for rivals mainly for both magical girls and Praedari. Also, if you want to see your favorite magical girl in this story, check out the poll on my profile. Keep in mind, I will only be listing those from the Manga, including the ones exclusive to Oriko Magica and Kazumi Magica.

That's about it fir now. Please take the time to write a review if possible, I would really like to hear your thoughts of my approach, as well as any constructive criticism. All flamers shall be ignored. For those that do check out the reviews, keep in mind that even if the majority hates it, don't go with the flow until you read any story, as you may enjoy it.

Hopefully I'll see you all next time. Take care till then.


	2. Can You Trust Me?

_**Puella Magi - Izumi**_

Opening my eyes, I realized that Sho-kun was almost back home. Since he had to go to a meeting, it forced him to take the three soul gems outside of the range for our bodies to move around in. I wonder how the other two were doing right now.

It has been five days since Shotaro and I met Fuuko and Nozomi. I still can't believe that my dear Sho-kun brought them home with us. For three years, it has just been him and myself there, now we got two freeloaders crashing. I am not paranoid that he'll do something, since I trust him.

I laid in my bed, looking up at the white ceiling as the matching colored fan spun slowly. I reminisced about the past after stretching a little.

Ever since we first met, I stood by his side in combat. We discovered that we complemented each other in many ways. My magic mainly revolves around healing and creating barriers, therefore I am not good offensively. Sho-kun however is the opposite. He uses only guns to fight witches, but he's pretty good with them. However, compared to myself, he is very fragile, and even with that suit of his, he can't afford to take a direct hit from any witch. I act as his shield, and he is my sword.

The way he can remain so calm in battle makes him so cool. However, he doesn't always think things through. This is especially true with dealing with others when off the clock. He's also a bit naïve about some things, like the importance of secrets being, well secret. Every magical girl we came across, he always mentions what he does, and that he works for a secret organization. At least he doesn't say the name of that place. But he's reliable when you need him most. Most importantly, he trusts me with his life like I do for mine. I find it a bit romantic to be honest.

We both came a long ways over the past three years. We were young teens when we first met, but I'm nineteen now, and Sho-kun's coming close to his eighteenth birthday. We were naïve rookies out on our first hunt, and ever since, we stuck together. Although I can't forgive Kyubey by not telling me the full truth on purpose. I am a little grateful for him granting my wish. Not only did it come true, but I was able to find happiness.

I plan to confess the feelings I've harbored for him for the past three years on his birthday.

Even if Sho-kun never returns my love for him, I'll be happy enough to stay by his side for as long as I live.

* * *

**Can You Trust Me?**

* * *

_**Praedari - Alpha**_

The place that Izumi and I live in was a pretty large condominium that acts as a safe house for any fleeing Praedari. Welkin owns the entire complex that it could be found in, but most of the residents are civilians or Civilis to Praedari. The place wasn't extravagant in design.

Originally, All there was in here was just a futon and a fridge for food, a microwave, and the bathroom. Otherwise, it was completely empty. All that changed after Izumi moved in. She essentially bought everything else you'd expect in a home. Stove, television, paintings, you name it, she got it, and with a credit card that was issued to me by Welkin. The financial department really chewed me out when they got the bill that month. I had to lie to them, saying that I purchased all that to not arouse suspicion from the neighbors, therefore possibly compromising my cover. They bought it, since it was a valid argument.

I groaned as I slumped into the leather couch in the living room. I only recently came back from HQ for a briefing. My mind recalled what I was told.

"Alpha, while you've been excelling in obtaining grief seeds and eliminating witches, your track record with Puella Magi continues to worry me. " a bald old man in his seventies said. His eyes were permanently squinted, making it impossible for me to tell if they were even open. The only hair on his head was the long white moustache he had. He wore an all black business suit and matching fedora.

This man was known only as "Chief" to us Praedari, and he was our direct supervisor. He also is the only one that I know that addresses magical girls as "Puella Magi" for some reason.

"I apologize sir." I said while bowing my head from the seat I was in. "Usually they escape when I'm not looking, and the restraints I use keep failing. I would request that R&D improve their design. Some Puella Magi proven to be able to either disintegrate them or remove them with their magic."

"I see you've obtained two new soul gems though, so at least you're trying." Chief said as he looked down at my armband.

I followed suit to look at the newest gems on the blue piece of metal. They flanked Izumi's gem from the sides, the left shining a brilliant green, while the left was white.

"You have new orders, Alpha." Chief said out of the blue with a smile. " In addition to your current duties, I am having you gather magical girls."

I blinked in confusion as I listened to my superior.

"Premission to speak freely?" I asked.

"Granted." the old man said calmly.

"I fail to comprehend by what you mean by that." I replied. "As you said, I always fail regarding keeping Puella Magi contained. Recon isn't suited for someone that is clumsy."

"You mean the ones you always release?" Chief said in a cold, firm tone as his smile vanished all together.

I immediately broke out into a cold sweat. How did he know? I thought I was so careful. Did Delta rat me out or did Chief overhear my conversations over the radio? Wait… It had to been through the radio.

"You thought you could hide your…'hobby' from your superiors?" Chief asked. "Keep in mind, Welkin has all Praedari under surveillance in one way or another. We knew of your pet you've been keeping for the past three years as well. "

I sighed in defeat right there. They knew everything that I was doing since day one. I couldn't fight an organization that's backed by the government. That was like me trying to fight a witch naked and unarmed.

"What…are you going to do with us?" I asked, my voice revealing how nervous I was becoming by the second.

"Have you stopped to think why Welkin hasn't stopped you yet?" the old man asked while stroking part of his moustache.

I fell silent while my brain processed what I just heard.

"May I ask why, sir?" I asked.

"Protocol states that Praedari are to eliminate the potential threat that are present in Puella Magi." he explained. "However, it never said that destroying or taking away the soul gem were the only ways. I am interested with how you've been doing things. You would've been marked for execution just because you were releasing your prisoners if the higher ups knew about this."

My mind went blank at what I just heard. The Chief was interested in my methods , and also kept it a secret from the bigwigs?! What is the old codger thinking?!

"You still have much to learn, Alpha." he said as the smile reappeared. "However, your actions have shown something that's worth mentioning at the next strategy conference. One that can reduce the fatality rate significantly for Praedari."

It was common knowledge in Welkin that Praedari was the most lethal position one could be in. The chances of one Praedari surviving is only forty percent tops when it comes to fights against witches with a partner. Fighting one alone means certain death. I was one of the very few that survived for over three years, but that was because I had Izumi at my side to cover my fucking ass.

My colleagues thought I was some living legend who comes out unscathed, when in truth, I am usually injured pretty bad whenever I get hit, which is a lot. I tell you, I actually pass out on occasion. If I hadn't met Izumi, I would've died in my very first fight.

"You've survived this long because you have a Puella Magi with you." the old man pointed out. "While they aren't humans anymore, apparently they can still be reasoned with."

I started to realize where my supervisor was getting at. If I am correct, he was implying that it may be worth checking out to see if magical girls and Praedari besides my group can work together. I could speculate all I want, but I decided to be blunt and get straight to the point.

"I may have an idea of where you're getting at, sir." I said. "Do you wish for me to recruit them."

"Something like that." the old man confirmed as his eyes opened up, revealing the silver irises to me. " I want you to secure as many of those Puella Magi as you possibly can. Remember, you do not have a say in this manner. You have a lot to lose, remember."

The tone of his voice held an underlying threat with the words he spoke. Exactly as he said it, I couldn't protest at all. He had me right where he wants me. One word about what I've been doing, and everyone is dead.

"With that, we'll bring the briefing to a close." Chief said in a casual manner as his eyes closed. "I expect great things from you, Alpha."

I raised an arm up to cover my eyes as I sighed. The old man was someone that I trusted the most. However, it became apparent that he saw me as only a tool to further his means. I was careless… and he took advantage of that. Plus, I've dragged Izumi and the others down with me without realizing it.

My old partner was right, There is no such thing as trust within Welkin. Who can I trust there now?

Still, the most important thing right now is to eat something.

* * *

**Puella Magi**

* * *

Standing on the edge of a tall building's roof, I groaned in annoyance before taking a large bite of my pocky. Man this was so boring. There hasn't been any witches the past few days for me to hunt. While I was still good for a while before I needed a grief seed, this town I came to is a total bore.

It's basically unclaimed territory, but only because every single magical girl that came in left soon after for unknown reasons. There were a lot of unsettling rumors going around about mysterious people in black fighting witches and eliminating anyone that they encountered. Whether they are a magical girl or innocent victim, the guys in black kill them indiscriminately. Some say they torture magical girls for their own sick pleasure.

I figured that this unoccupied territory was supposedly his, and I was here to get answers and to claim this spot for my own. I looked over my shoulder while putting the remaining piece of pocky I was eating into my mouth. After a few moments, I swallowed and spoke.

"What are you up too?" I asked Kyubey as he finished his piece.

"Nothing of relevance to you." the weird creature replied bluntly.

"You said that this territory was unclaimed, and is a hotspot for witches." I stated while narrowing my eyes at my little "companion".

"_And I have been speaking the truth_." Kyubey said stoically. "_However, there's been those Praedari who have been eliminating witches before any magical girl can reach them and taking the grief seeds for themselves_."

"Tch, the last thing I needed is more competition." I said dryly. "I take it one of those bastards are here."

"_Correct_." the furball confirmed as he leaped onto the ledge next to me. "_He is one you shouldn't take lightly, even though he is a regular human_."

"Hold it," I said as before glaring at Kyubey again. "All this time, I heard they fight witches and can use weird powers, and you're saying they are just plain old humans?!"

"_All that you have just said is fact_." he said while looking up at me with his blank face. He didn't flinch at all when I picked him up by those odd protrusions that looked like lopped rabbit ears. No big surprise there.

"THEN TELL ME HOW THEY CAN, DAMMIT!" I demanded as loud as I could while holding him at eye level.

"_It's because they developed technology after studying a magical girl they captured. The abilities you've heard about is derived from these armbands the Praedari wear. Those have been formed from a wish of a magical girl who desired that regular humans could defend themselves against witches without needing to form a contract._ " Kyubey explained while limply swaying like a pendulum.

"What can these things do exactly?" I questioned while tightening my grip on his "other ears".

"_They are diverse in abilities, ranging from transforming into weapons to radars that pick up soul gems_."

I smirked before holding Kyubey in front of me.

"I'll be off then. " I said before letting go, letting the little freak fall to the ground. I watched as he just dropped to the ground limply, not even remotely scared as his face met the pavement, causing his small body to crumple and deform. The fucking furball was now just a gory pancake that just about everybody won't see. I don't understand why he keeps coming to me, despite being fully aware that I enjoy killing him in various ways for my own amusement.

I turned my attention towards a group of four suspicious men walking into the alleyway that was next to the building I stood upon. Infinite Kyubey Killing is fun and all, but it's nothing like killing someone that'll just stay dead.

I giggled in excitement as I transformed into my magical girl form. Once finished, I held my hand above my head, summoning my scythe. I grasped it and paused for a moment.

Maybe I really should make my presence known. Perhaps a rampage will suffice. Nah, better keep to the shadows for now until I can find those Praedari. Better to know who to look out first before I kill them.

I leaped off the ledge with scythe in hand. As I fell I twisted my body to embed the blade into the building to slow my descent. As the blade carved into the concrete, sparks flew with an ear splitting screech. I slowly came to a stop, ending just over the heads of the men, who were looking up at me in a mix of confusion and disbelief. My intended badass entrance was ruined by the blade getting stuck, leaving me dangling.

"What the hell is that kid doing?" one of them asked. "Is she in some kind of cosplay?"

I growled before my eyes lit up with inspiration. I licked my lips as an idea formed inside of my head.

"DEATH FROM ABOVE, SHITHEADS!" I screamed ecstatically as I let go and landed on top of one of them as I summoned a pair of kama and used them to slice his head into three pieces after slicing his throat open. Blood and brain matter spattered onto my face as my first victim collapsed to the ground as the body convulsed briefly. I grinned as the men pulled out their concealed guns and aimed them at me.

"Calm down boys, you'll all get your turn." I chirped happily before licking my lips once again.

Gunshots filled the air followed by the screams of those retards as I moved in for the kills.

I just hope those Praedari are better shots than these chumps. Kyubey's system is fun and all, but there's nothing as satisfying like hearing someone's dying scream before I cleave the upper half of their head clean off.

* * *

_**Praedari - Phi**_

* * *

I growled in annoyance as I watched the pair of magical girls struggling against the witch they were fighting. The monster was a cartoony yet large white octopus. Its cuteness however belied its ferocity, having already tearing my partner into pieces before eating them. It's hide was obviously very thick, beign able to withstand the explosion of the bomb from the belt buckle while feasting upon Zeta. I raised the rifle that belonged to my partner and took aim at the witch. I always lose partners almost every other mission. This was the fifth one this month!

I hated being a Praedari because Welkin sees us as disposable soldiers that are already dead to the world. Why wasn't I paired up with the infamous Alpha, the one who always survived for three years?! I didn't want to be a fucking witch hunter in the first place! Welkin told me to join or else my family would be killed by a bad man. Being a naïve seven year old back then, I agreed without any thought of what they meant. They showed their true colors soon after by trapping my parents in their own house and burnt it down.

I don't trust anyone, not even my own partners. It's their own fault for getting themselves killed so easily. I am only a fourteen year old girl, and been a Praedari for only four months. I was selected to become one because, unlike my "comrades", I could see witches without the need of those visors. My visor was only for protection and that was it.

The witch turned its attention from the magical girls and towards me. It let out a guttural groan as it used its tentacles to crawl towards me.

"Dammit!" I cursed before squeezing the trigger, unleashing a burst of gunfire into the monster bitch's face. It bellowed in pain while stopping in place. The rifle kept going until the ammunition in the magazine was exhausted. I tossed the now useless gun to the side and reached for one of my pouches.

The octopus monster recovered and cried out in fury before thrusting two of its tentacles towards me like spears. I dived to the left to avoid one of them only to become impaled by the second in the lower abdomen.

_FUCK!_ I screamed in my mind while being lifted into the air by the same tentacle that made me into a human shish kabob. I couldn't feel my legs at all and had difficulty moving my arms. The witch brought me towards its tube like mouth, intending to devour me whole.

Summoning what strength I had left, I raised my right hand and threw a silver egg into its mouth.

"If I'm going to die, then at least you're coming with me." I said before grinning. It was going to become takoyaki in a moment. Just before the monster ate me, a red blur went in front of me, severing the tentacle that held me from the body. Just when I realized that one of those magical girls saved me, the grenade detonated. The witch's head swelled up like a balloon for a moment before exploding.

The force of the explosion sent me flying several meters before I landed into a roll.

My eyesight was becoming blurry and dull. I was obviously losing a lot of blood at a fast rate. What made me unnerved however was the fact I didn't feel a fucking thing. My groan that escaped my mouth meant only one thing, I was paralyzed from the neck down.

As I looked at the ground as the witch's wards began to fade away, I noticed a white cat like creature staring at me with a blank face.

"_You are an interesting person, Kagamine Asuna_." a voice said inside my head. For some reason I could tell that the voice came from the creature. "_It will be a shame if you wish to die like this._ "

No… I want to live.

I remembered a rumor I heard a while back about a creature that was invisible to the naked eye, and was connected to the creation of Magical Girls.

"Got… that right." I said weakly.

"_I can help you_." the telepathic cat said. "_But only if you wish for it_."

I had a feeling that there was going to be some catch, but I had little choice. I couldn't trust it, but I didn't want to die.

"I wish… I won't die… from anything like this." I said.

"_Very well_." the creature stated before I was bathed in a blinding light without warning.

* * *

_**Civilis - Hinogatamaru Eiji**_

* * *

"So, what you're saying is that we have four more victims of Cutter Jyo?" I asked while scribbling down the info that I just learned on my memo pad.

"Correct, Eiji-san." the police officer confirmed. "The method of how they were killed matched the previous cases exactly."

I nodded before sighing. With this, the confirmed death toll has reached twenty two in the past three months. A series of murders that are scattered all over town, all done in the same, inhuman method. The killer, or killers, always sliced and diced their victims' heads, arms and legs into many pieces, but the worst was what was done to their chests. They are always carved open and gutted with the organs scattered all around the corpse. The fact that some kind of blade is always used led me to call this killer "Cutter Jyo. " The killer has no objective, killing indiscriminately probably for his own twisted entertainment.

This town I came to tonight is slowly turning into a hellhole from what I'm hearing. Unexplained deaths, increasing suicides, young girls disappearing, and a serial killer from the neighboring town is on the loose, all that's missing is some kind of secret organization and monsters.

I ran my hand through my spiky silver hair while sighing. Here I am, my first case as head investigator, and I was at a dead end. I still don't get why the chief made that call. I'm still a rookie, as I've only been a homicide detective for only almost a year. My partner was way more experienced in this kind of stuff, but he was needed for another case. Still, I can't whine and complain about my displeasure towards everything. I'm a grown man that needs to grit his teeth and bear it.

I glanced at the gruesome alleyway and noticed some jagged rocks lying in the ground across the gory ground, laying among the many organs.

Hold on… We were in the middle of town, and I know that there wasn't any parks or places that had rocks lying around.

"Have these buildings been around for a long time, Konomura-san ?" I asked the officer out of curiosity.

"Not really, they've been around for only three years. " Konomura replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

I reached into my coat jacket and pulled out a small flashlight. I flipped the switch and aimed the light upwards. My red eyes widened when I noticed a deep line gouged into the gray wall, as well as a pair of bloody foot prints at the lower end. The height from the ground was impossible for a regular human to jump up to, even if there was something to grab onto at that height.

"What the fuck?" I said as Konomura looked at the bizarre sight.

"How are we going to check that out?" he asked.

That was a really good question indeed. The alleyway was too narrow for a cherry picker to be used, and even then, it would've had to wait until the entire scene was photographed and evidence on the ground was collected.

As I looked upon the footprints, I recalled hearing of a young girl claiming to have seen the culprit, but she was dismissed as the claim was something from a manga or anime.

A magical girl that was in black and uses a scythe.

Please, like that stuff really exists to begin with. Magical girls are fictional characters, designed to entertain young girls.

But still, how did a pair of bloody footprints wind up on a wall three meters above the ground? Cutter Jyo being a magical girl would make the most sense, as surreal as it is to begin with. But that is an impossible thing to explain to the other investigators.

Then again, it has been known that impossible things happen all over the world.

* * *

_**Praedari - Delta**_

* * *

I narrowed my brow as I took aim at the target. I inhaled slowly before squeezing the trigger, unleashing the bullet that was in the chamber of my rifle. The bullet went straight through the head, adding another hole to the other six that were already there.

I lowered my gun and reengaged the safety before setting it down on the counter next to the box of ammo I had. It always like this for me. After a mission with that brat Alpha, I spend some time at the shooting range to hone my skills.

Why was I stuck with a damn kid?! True, he is almost eighteen, but I am twenty-five. I was a former mercenary before Welkin hired me and twenty others of the paramilitary group I was a part of a year ago.

Of the twenty-one, only seven of us remained. Six others had resigned while the rest were killed off. It was crazy, knowing that most Praedari have killed someone before joining. Most of us were soldiers for hire, but we had a few murderers amongst us too, recruited discreetly from prison. There were a few that just came out of nowhere, with no past record to look up from. Alpha was one of those ones.

His mindset wasn't that of a soldier or a serial killer. He naively clung to the belief of finding alternatives without resorting to violence. When I was partnered up with Alpha, I was honestly amused with his approach at first. At least until he began letting every magical girl loose with no strings attached. What was that stupid bastard thinking, treating the very thing we are to kill like friends? It pissed me off even more knowing that he also was taking in those little freaks. He has the potential to be an excellent soldier if he wasn't so soft.

I removed my helmet as my long black hair fell freely the light reflecting off the sheen of it. My brown eyes focused upon the human shaped target. I am a Praedari, a hunter of magic. I am hired to only kill what I'm told to kill, not being a fucking babysitter. But still, I will do anything if it means I get paid for it, even if I hate it.

Regardless, Alpha was an enigma to me. Why was he a Praedari in the first place? He refuses to kill anything that wasn't a witch, yet is able to stare down death without fear in a fight. He can be one hell of an analyst sometimes, yet he doesn't plan ahead well. What drives him exactly to spare magical girls, even though he is aware that they'd eventually become witches themselves? He had contradictory traits that left me with more questions than answers.

Nothing in this world makes sense, and Alpha is a prime example of that. I remembered my question to him back when he was trying to convince me to follow his example.

"You expect me to believe that we can domesticate those freaks?"

Afterwards, that was the first time I actually wanted to kill my own partner in my entire life. I fucking hate kids…

* * *

_**Puella Magi - Fuuko**_

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" all of us said in unison before we began eating.

I took my chopsticks and began shoveling the curry covered rice into my mouth like my life depended upon it.

"Fuuko-chan, nobody is going to steal your food." Nozomi said nervously.

I stopped and swallowed before replying.

"You ate my taiyaki yesterday." I pouted while crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Enoshima-san," Shotaro spoke up in a calm manner. "You do remember that you had like three more before the one Itou-san had. You need to remember that the food is for everybody, not just you."

I giggled sheepishly while scratching the back of my head.

"Gomen, Sakamichi-kun." I apologized. "I'm still not used to living like this."

"It'll take a while, but don't worry about that." Izumi said with a smile.

"Anyway, what have you been doing today that forced us to play dead for four hours?" Nozomi asked Shotaro bluntly. He froze for a moment as his eyes looked down at his curry.

"It was Praedari-related." he said in a solemn tone, obviously troubled by something that happened during that time.

"What happened Sho-kun?" Izumi asked while looking at Shotaro in concern.

"I rather not go into details, but I have been given new orders." he answered with a sigh.

"Care to tell us what they are, hentai?" Nozomi asked bluntly as she pointed her chopsticks at Shotaro, who looked back at her briefly with a frown.

"I am to recruit as many magical girls as possible." he said before setting his chopsticks down.

Izumi froze in place as she looked at the only man at the table.

"D-Do they…?" she tried to ask, only to trail off in fear.

"The Chief is fully aware." the red-eyed teen said in a depressed tone. "I didn't think things through completely."

"So? That means you can do it openly now!" Nozomi pointed out.

"True, but here's the thing." Shotaro said before locking eyes with the brunette. "I was letting magical girls go willingly, when I am supposed to either keep them prisoner or kill them immediately. If any one of the higher ups caught wind of this, I would be executed."

It took me a minute to realize where he is going.

"Wait… you could be killed for something like that?!" I cried out in disbelief.

"BULLSHIT!" Nozomi cursed in English while slamming her fist onto the table.

Shotaro sighed before looking at both of us with a saddened look in his eyes.

"If I'm dead, then that means you too would be killed." he pointed out before looking down at his bowl of curry.

A pregnant silence filled the air as all of us closed our mouths, unable to say something in response.

I was worried about everyone. Shotaro was kind enough to take care of us, and he could be killed for that. I remembered him saying that the others who work for the organization would not treat us like humans. Nozomi and I had been traveling for over three months before we finally managed to find a place to call home. And now that we finally found one, we could be facing death.

"I'm just glad that you're not going to die." I heard Izumi say a few minutes later.

"I know, but I've put you girls at risk, which I was trying to avoid in the first place." the Praedari replied softly.

"Don't beat yourself up, hentai." Nozomi said with a frown. "I went through hell my entire life, so I'm not scared of what could happen."

"She's right, Sho-kun. " Izumi said while focusing entirely on the boy. "It's nothing to worry about. I am afraid of the worst too, but I won't let it get to me."

"Izumi…" Shotaro said in slight surprise.

The elder magical girl smiled warmly before she continued speaking.

"Think of it this way: Prove to the others that we can work together, and you could change things for the better." she said. "You would save more lives that way than doing it in secret."

Shotaro closed his eyes as he began to think. I watched him in curiosity, wondering how he would respond to Izumi's words. It was obvious that those two were really close, given by how they address each other by their given names.

"I understand where you're coming from, but I want to do more than to just help save lives." he said while opening his eyes. "This cycle that you girls are a part of, I want to find a way to either stop it or exploit some kind of loophole to make it better for you."

"You still plan on doing that?" Nozomi asked while raising an eyebrow. "The little bastard said that it's impossible to overthrow entropy."

"I don't plan to do the impossible." the Praedari stated with a frown. "The Incubator said that I can't overcome entropy, and I have to agree. I'm a regular human. However, from what I know, everything he's doing is done through some kind of process. If there's one thing I'm aware of is that every system has their flaws."

My eyes widened as I recalled my original wish. One that Kyubey said was impossible to grant.

"I couldn't wish for my parents to come back to life." I blurted out without thinking.

"Wait… there's limitations to what wishes can be granted?" Izumi asked in surprise.

"Interesting, so the bastard can't bring the dead to life." Shotaro mused, intrigued with what I said.

"What kinds of wishes could he grant though?" Nozomi asked.

"He can bring people together." Izumi stated. "I wished to meet someone who trusted me, and I met Sho-kun as a result of it."

"He can also heal people from things we can't cure with today's technology or normally are impossible, like healing complete paralysis to making people love each other." Shotaro added. "I also met a magical girl who became one because she wanted to protect her loved ones."

Nozomi fell silent as her face softened to one of sadness.

"My wish led to only disaster…" she muttered solemnly.

"Could you please explain what your wish was, Itou-san?" Izumi asked.

"I wished I had the power to be able to protect my older sister with my own two hands. I was really close with her, so she meant everything to me." Nozomi replied as she looked down at her food. "However, a month after becoming a magical girl, she approached me on why we weren't hanging out as much as we were in the past. When I refused to tell her, she ran away, and I haven't seen her since."

I closed my eyes and cleared my throat for a moment. I didn't like to talk about what I was about to say, but if it could help us figure something out, I was willing to replay that memory.

"As for me, the wish that was granted was to have this boy that was harassing me at the orphanage I was in to be dealt with. I wanted someone to show up and stop him, instead he got ran over by a drunk driver right in front of me." I added in a similar tone of voice that Nozomi had.

"Hmm… interesting." Shotaro said in a stoic manner as he listened to the two of us.

"What do you mean?" Nozomi asked while narrowing her eyes in anger. "What is so interesting about Fuuko and I suffering like that?"

" I think it's another part of the Incubator's system." the black haired Praedari replied. "If you think about it, your wishes were apparently offset in some manner, as if to maintain some kind of balance. I know it sounds insensitive, but I think the Incubator makes sure there's some kind of price to your wish coming true, usually in the form of some kind of suffering."

"Then what about me, Sho-kun? I have been a magical girl for over three years, and I haven't paid some kind of price." Izumi questioned.

"I think the 'payment' for your wish hasn't come yet, Izumi." Shotaro guessed before frowning. "And if anything is to taken from the accounts of Itou-san and Enoshima-san, something like what happened to them could apply to me as well."

Izumi's eyes widened as she gasped in realization.

"You mean…" she said before trailing off.

The boy only nodded silently in response.

"So… Your life could be on a countdown that could hit zero at any moment." Nozomi said bluntly.

"All the more reason for me to accomplish my goal." Shotaro replied with a frown. "Plus I also noticed that Izumi's soul gem is getting impurities at a faster rate these days."

"That last fight had me very close to the edge. It is more alarming that my gem was almost pristine at the start." Izumi said in agreement.

"I don't like the way things are going…" I said nervously.

"I think that's something we can all agree upon." Nozomi said grudgingly.

* * *

_**Praedari- Phi**_

* * *

The light died down, leaving me looking up at the night sky in confusion. My body felt refreshed like I had a good night's rest. I sat upright and stretched my arms.

Wait… Wait a damn minute.

I was able to move… But a moment ago, I was completely paralyzed. I held out my right hand and examined it the best I could in the limited light.

"_You're fully healed now_." the telepathic voice said to me.

I twisted my neck over my left shoulder to see the white cat creature staring at me with a teal egg shaped jewel resting next to it. It took me a moment to realize what it was, it a soul gem.

"What the hell is that doing there?" I asked while pointing to the magical stone.

"_That is your soul gem. It was created when I granted your wish_." the odd creature answered. "_You are now a magical girl_."

My heart stopped when I "heard" those last two words. There was one thing that I feared more than death, and that was it. It was clearly stated to EVERY female member of Welkin. It doesn't matter if you were a Praedari, the moment you become a magical girl, you will be seen as a traitor. And traitors are to be executed, no questions asked. I may not have trusted Welkin, but I obeyed all orders out of survival.

"Damn you…" I growled at the creature. "I didn't ask to become a magical girl, you bastard."

"_You were the one that made the contract with me_." it pointed out bluntly while staring at me blankly.

"I am a Praedari, and a magical girl." I said bitterly. "I am a hunter that has became the fucking prey!"

"_Oh, I wasn't aware that you are one of those Praedari. I must say, you all have been a nuisance_." the creature said as it approached me.

"I get it now, you're the one responsible for everything." I muttered as I rose to my feet. " I have nobody to turn to survive now. And I sure as hell refuse to work with you after what you've did to me."

I clenched my fists before turning my back to the creature.

"I remember you calling me by my name. But I don't know yours, furball." I said while walking away.

"_I am known as Kyubey, Asuna, or would you rather like me to address you as Praedari Phi_?" the creature replied .

Kyubey…

Mark my words, I will make sure you pay, you fucker.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… I will make sure I fuck up whatever you have planned.

* * *

**_Puella Magi - Cutter Jyo_**

* * *

I sighed as I swung on a swing set. I'm so bored right now! One can only enjoy something for so long before it gets boring. Where's Kyubey when you need him? I wanted to see how much water he could hold before popping like a balloon.

I immediately got off and looked at the sight before me. The dismembered corpses of a young couple I took my time with was scattered about, which only preoccupied me for only ten minutes before it got boring.

I held out my hand with my palm held face up as a yellow soul gem materialized. It then started to orbit around me as many others of various colors materialized. I smirked before I looked over my shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking." I said in an all-knowing manner. "Why do I collect soul gems? It's because it's what I can do with them."

My unexpected visitor remained silent as she held up a non-magical firearm towards me. I couldn't help but laugh as all the soul gems all vanished in a misty vapor.

"You think a gun is going to hurt me?" I taunted as I summoned my scythe. "But I will admit, I love those cold, empty eyes of yours. Only those who don't give a fuck about others can have such beauty."

"I have questions for you." the girl said, completely unfazed by the appearance of my weapon.

My curiosity was piqued by how calm this girl was. Normally either one of two things would happen, they are weary, or they scream in fear. She did neither of them, plus she was completely unaffected by the corpses. A smile crept upon my face as I turned to face the girl.

"Very interesting." I said while dismissing my weapon. " I'll humor you and answer whatever question you have for me. Provided you go on a date with me afterwa-."

A single shot was fired, the bullet only missing my face by mere millimeters. What got my attention was that it was an intentional miss.

"…I am not here for jokes." she said coldly. "Let's go."

I shrugged as she held the gun to my head now.

"As you wish." I said, unfazed by the still scalding barrel pressed against my temple.

* * *

_**Welkin - The Chief**_

I silently walked down the hallway towards a pair of white doors that slowly creaked open for me. I stopped for a moment to collect myself. To make a mistake on the topic I was called in to discuss would compromise my position, as well as Welkin as a whole.

I stepped into the dark room slowly, letting my eyes to adjust. After several steps, the doors closed behind me, blocking all the light from entering the room. I chuckled in amusement before I resumed walking.

"I take it all members of the Triumvirate are present." I said in a respectful manner.

The Welkin Triumvirate were three people who are in charge of the entire organization. While Welkin acts on accordance to the government's demands, it functions independently as a whole. To prevent us from straying from our original goal by a single man's influence, it was decided that the leadership was to split three ways, as was done in ancient Rome. To protect the identities of the Triumvirate, all meetings with any member are done within complete darkness. Technology was too dangerous to rely on, as someone could eavesdrop on conversations over phones or video.

"We are all accounted for, Major." a mature male voice replied calmly. This one is known as Odin. "You are aware of why we summoned you?"

"Of course, we are to discuss the arrangements for the newest arrangements regarding the Praedari, specifically the new partners for Praedari Epsilon and Gamma. As well as the recent developments regarding Praedari Phi." I replied without hesitation.

"We'll begin with Epsilon. The Triumvirate are starting to become suspicious of his actions towards the Puella Magi." a young female's voice declared in a blunt manner. Athena was the name she goes by. " He has not eliminated a single one, instead capturing them."

Epsilon, like Alpha, is another Praedari who views the Puella Magi as humans and not the enemy. Unlike Alpha's catch and release method of those who have "families", Epsilon apparently has made any magical girl he's secured into a servant, or so it appears from surveillance done on him. To date, he has only killed witches, and not a single Puella Magi.

" Odin and I feel that Epsilon is perhaps building an army. Whether it's to stage a coup, or to assist us, remains uncertain. " the third member of the Triumvirate, Zeus, said. My guess is that Zeus a young male in his twenties, judging by the sound of his voice.

"I guess we cannot afford to allow him to do his own thing anymore." I thought out loud. "We also need to discreetly curtail the amount of 'servants' he has gathered. Perhaps I could have the new Sigma be assigned as his partner."

"Could you please refresh my memory on who the new Sigma is?" Odin asked politely.

"Praedari Sigma is a serial killer that has been found guilty five years ago of ten charges, including first degree murder, second degree murder and voluntarily manslaughter. Was recruited for experience with swords, particularly the katana and tracking expertise in an urban environment." I informed the senior member of the trio.

"That will work nicely." Zeus said, his tone filled with amusement. "Now, onto Praedari Phi's whereabouts."

I couldn't help but sigh when that name was brought up.

Phi was more compliant with exterminating Puella Magi than Epsilon and Alpha, but what makes her a concern was her age and the habit of not trusting anyone, especially those from Welkin. I had her partner, Zeta, keep an eye on her in case if the girl thought about compromising Welkin in any way. At least until he was killed in a recent encounter with a witch. After she confirmed that Zeta was deceased, she vanished. She left her helmet and belt at her safe house, the two items that allowed us to monitor her location at all times. Without them, it will be difficult to locate her, depending on how she travels.

"I have sent a small squad to track her down her location." I reported while putting my hands behind my back. "It will take some time before I get the first report. "

"Alright, then. But keep in mind that she does have the potential of being viewed a Reneger." Odin pointed out.

My body tensed when I heard that last word. Renegers are Praedari who turn their backs on Welkin and flee. Once they go AWOL, they are seen as traitors that can't be allowed to live, due to them knowing compromising secrets. It was one of my duties to eliminate all traitors. Welkin lets Praedari resign, however, they would then be sent back to prison if they were a convicted killer, or rehire a mercenary for jobs they are more comfortable with. One would also be monitored for years to ensure that Welkin was kept secret.

"However." I heard Athena speak up. "If she has become a Puella Magi, capture her alive."

I did a double take upon hearing that. Athena has always been the most vocal of the Triumvirate in the complete extermination of all Puella Magi. To hear her say to bring one in alive raised alarms in my head. What was the Triumvirate planning?

"V-Very well, ma'am." I acknowledged, trying to regain my composure.

"That will be all for Phi. Let's discuss about Gamma." Zeus said in an annoyed manner.

"Very well." I replied, once again calm.

* * *

_" You want to cure their 'curses' ? AHAHAHA! OH THAT'S JUST RICH!"_

_"Why... Why do you embrace the Incubator's methods?!"_

_"Why won't you die?"_

_"You think you can use your magic on me?"_

_"Just because you're invisible doesn't mean you can escape me."_

_"We all have taken a life with our own hands one way or another. That is the first step in being selected to become a Praedari."_

_"I'm getting transferred?"_

_"DON'T WASTE FOOD!"_

_"Send Nu and Mu to back up Alpha."_

_"Humans are as amusing as they are delicious."_

_We all fight for different reasons, but who is a friend, and who's the enemy? Trusting the wrong person could lead to death. In this deadly game, you have to trust to survive._

_**Next time: Predators**_

* * *

Welcome back, and thank you for the support so far. Seeing that you reached this means that I haven't screwed up so badly that you left because of it. I don't have high expectations that this story would really take off, but then again, we're still really early to see.

As you have learned, there are going to be focus on other characters. For those who plan to submit OC's or already have, don't worry. I won't jump into their point of view until I have a good understanding on how they think. Also, submitted OC's are going to start showing up next chapter.

Finding a beta that is familiar with Puella Magi is turning out to be a lot more difficult than I imagined. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone informed me of someone that could help me out. I would prefer that it's someone who's solely a beta, as I really don't wish to bother someone else who is writing their own fan fiction.

That's about it for now, so I hope to see you all next time. I am still accepting OC's, so there's no need to ask me ahead of time until the summary says otherwise. Thank you all once again for the continued support.


	3. Predators

**OC Disclaimer: I do not own several of the OC's that appear or are mentioned in this chapter. The ones that don't belong to me are the following.**

**Tenkimaru Sakurai and Jeri Mandeni belong to Biggerguilmonmon**

**Praedari Epsilon belongs to J053D4N13L35C083D0**

**Nana Noriko belongs to MysteryAgain.**

* * *

_~Civilis~_

_I stood in the ruins of a city as a strong storm raged. Lying at my feet in the river of blood were the corpses of many people, most in black outfits and helmets. However, standing amongst the bodies were four silhouettes that were humanoid, but each had different characteristics of animals. One of the four walked in my direction, extending a pair of wings that made me briefly think of an angel. However, instead of taking flight, the figure flapped the wings forwards to fire its feathers like bullets towards my right. I turned to see one of the a group of three men in black crumple to the ground with one of the white feathers sticking from the forehead, deeply imbedded inside as blood spurted out of the wound._

_"DAMN YOU!" One of the surviving two screamed furiously while the other charged forward, his fists igniting into flames. The one with flaming fists tried to punch the winged figure, only to be shot in the foot by a gun carried by one who had the lower body of a snake. The flames immediately disappeared as he fell to the ground. The snake like being moved towards the man and coiled around him, giggling excitedly as I heard the sickening sounds of bones crushing as the man gasped for breath underneath his helmet._

_"You still think you can defeat us? " the snake asked in a taunt before she grabbed the man's head and twisted it in a complete circle, ending his life right then._

_The lone survivor clenched his fists before looking at his blue wristband that was filled with black jewels._

_"You killed everyone…" he said bitterly. "My friends are all dead because of you."_

_"Would you please calm down?" the "angel" asked. "You have my sincere gratitude for allowing the others to bring my sister to her senses, as well as removing the competition. "_

_"Do you know that you've doomed all of humanity?!" the man countered. "I wanted to stop this cycle, not continue it!"_

_"Listen well, because I'm only telling you this once. We exist because we still hold our resentment, but are blinded by our rage." the angel explained calmly as she approached the man. "The reason why I'm allowing you to live is because of my feelings for you. I want you to be the forefather of a new race, one that thrives in despair. You have lost so much, yet you still hang onto life. I love that most about you."_

_She stopped and wrapped her arms around his body in a loving embrace before doing the same with her wings._

_"I love you, even though I still despise you for what happened." she confessed softly._

_"You're not the same person I remembered." the man said solemnly._

_"Wh-What are you talking about?"_

_"…Farewell…"_

_With that, an explosion went off between the two, engulfing them in fire. The flames spread out faster than I could react, incinerating me in the process before I could even scream._

The train announced my destination as I awoke from my dream. Guess I must have fell asleep a while back.

What the hell was that dream about?

_~Welkin - Chief~_

The doors opened for me as I left the dark chamber, pausing briefly to allow my eyes to adjust to the blinding light. Once the eyes were comfortable, I was met with the image of a pleasant surprise.

Standing before me was a Praedari who wore a peculiar uniform that was silver with a mirror like visor. His armband was a glistening gold while his gauntlets had clawed fingers that were covered in chrome.

"How did the meeting go?" he asked me.

"It had a few surprises." I replied calmly. "We started things off with pairing up those who were solo. Then came the surprise that was really caught me off guard. They are aware of more Praedari who're working with Puella Magi in some manner than I knew about. Pi, Alpha, and Epsilon are the ones I knew about. But to think there were more…"

"What are your orders then?" the silver Praedari asked me.

"Send Nu and Mu to back up Alpha." I ordered. " Remember this Xi, out of the three known cases, Alpha has the most control over Puella Magi. That makes him top priority to control. "

"Are you sure about that?" Xi questioned. "You know how those three are together."

"Pi will keep them in line in the field." I countered with a glare. "You of all people should know how your comrades behave."

The silver Xi chuckled as he nodded.

"Good point, I am one of the Eligere candidates, after all." he admitted. " There are twenty four Praedari stationed in each branch, but then there are the eight Eligere over all, in which you are one of, despite your age, Digamma."

"Of course, keep in mind that Eligere are those who proven themselves as more than just being good on the field." I chuckled softly before walking past the Praedari. "As for Epsilon, he will be partnered with one of the newer members, Sigma."

"I personally don't like that one." Xi said in disgust as he followed close behind. "He takes pleasure in killing others, especially teenage girls."

"All the more reason why he's partnered up with Epsilon." I said. "We are an organization that is tasked to eliminate the threat witches and Puella Magi possess by any means necessary. I don't care about the ideal method. All I want are results."

Xi fell silent for a moment to take in what I said. Knowing he was deep in thought I stopped for a moment to continue. We both stopped at an elevator before speaking up.

"Listen. You are one of my hand picked exterminators for Renegers, Xi." I stated while putting the hands behind my back while turning around to face the Praedari. "You have proven that you are worthy to be my successor. I am only an old man that is still useful because of how he manages the soldiers."

"Thank you, Chief." Xi said humbly as he bowed his head out of respect. "I may be speaking out of line, but what is the plan with Pi and his…partner?"

"Oh, you're talking about the nymphomaniac Puella Magi?" I asked before a smirk formed on my face. "She may be a loose cannon, but with Pi, I think they will work very well as a team with Alpha, his pets, Delta and the twins."

"That is going to be chaos twenty four-seven with those five Praedari together." Xi said dryly.

I couldn't help but laugh at his remark. I didn't realize till now just how disorganized that group will be. They were chosen because they would've complimented one another, and the others would keep an eye on Alpha's Puella Magi. Plus Alpha could be the only one who can put a damn leash on that Jeri.

* * *

**_Predators_**

* * *

_~Praedari Mu~_

My sister screamed as she was clinging onto me for dear life. I held up my rifle and opened fire upon the familiar that was coming our way. It resembled a simple plush rabbit, but with rows of shark teeth. The monster took a few shots to its left ear before leaping into the air. It flew towards us with its mouth widening, revealing its teeth at us in all its glory. I smirked while holding my left arm up as my black armband began to vibrate. The familiar stopped midair as it struck the invisible barrier that I created.

My sister peeked over my shoulder as I raised my rifle once again at the monster and opened fire as soon as I dispelled the barrier. The rabbit didn't have time to recover before I filled its belly with lead. The creature screeched before collapsing to the ground, its corpse dissolving into a black miasma.

"What's with you, Usagi?" I asked my sister while backing away from her.

"Sorry, Sekai-nee." Usagi said apologetically. She raised both her hands up to her helmet to remove it.

Her long light blue hair spilled out as soon as the helmet was off. She turned to look at me with her large sapphire blue eyes.

"You shouldn't be afraid of rabbits." I said while shaking my head. It's quite ironic that she was afraid of the very things she was named after. I followed suite and took off my helmet, allowing my own light blue hair to fall freely. To think that we looked so much alike yet acted so differently. That's identical twins for you.

"Sekai-nee, where are we going to sleep tonight?" my sister asked.

I sighed as I shrugged.

"I don't want to sleep under a bridge again." I admitted. "Sucks that we are vagabonds."

Here we were, two busty sixteen year old twins who are homeless. We only have been fighting for about a year and a half now, since it was either that or rot in prison for us accidentally killing someone.

"Umm… if I remember this correctly, This town is where Alpha-sensei's safe house is." Usagi recalled.

I immediately grinned upon hearing that. Praedari Alpha, our beloved Shotaro-sensei. Neither of us seen him after he trained us. Unlike most of the other Praedari we've met, he was the only one that cared for us as more than mere comrades.

What forced us apart was when we accidentally consumed some sake and not the sweet kind. I don't remember the details afterwards, but I do remember that the three of us woke in the very same bed naked. Shotaro never was one to think things through entirely. But still, until we both were found negative, he took responsibility. The Chief separated us for some unexplained reason soon after. I'm guessing it's to keep him from knocking me and Usagi up. I wouldn't complain if that happened.

I swear. If I was a magical girl, I'd give him my soul gem in a heartbeat. I know Usagi would do the very same thing. If it wasn't for Izumi interfering, the two of us would've tried to seduce him into making us his.

"What do we have here?" I heard a voice ask in curiosity.

Usagi and I turned around to face a girl that wore an over sized black sweatshirt with a skull and crossbones on the front. The jacket went past the waist, stopping midthigh while her legs were donning black stockings that went up to her knees with purple tennis shoes. Her hair was black and short in length. While her silver eyes focused upon us.

"Who are you?" I asked while aiming my rifle at the girl.

"I take it from those outfits you're those Praedari I've been hearing about." the girl of presumably fifteen years said. "Damn, you two could be gravure models with tits that big."

"Who are you?" I repeated while glaring at the girl.

"Oh, sorry, I guess you can call me Jyo. That's what everyone else is calling me on the news." she replied with a smirk.

"What are you talking about?" Usagi asked in confusion.

"Oh, guess you're not from around here. There's been a serial killer running around town, killing people left and right and dismembering their corpses. Police has no lead on who the killer looks like, so they're calling him, or rather her, Cutter Jyo."

"You…are a serial killer?" I asked cautiously while tightening my grip on my gun.

"Not just any serial killer, but a magical girl to boot." the girl who called herself Cutter Jyo announced.

Both Usagi and I tensed up in fear. My sister wrapped her arms around me again and held on. Damn, if only her knives weren't broken when we fought that rabbit.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here." I demanded while keeping myself calm.

Jyo smirked in a seductive manner and undid her sweatshirt revealing that she was wearing only a black bikini top underneath it with a pair of purple hot pants.

"I'm offering myself for someone, both body and services." she offered while letting her discarded piece of clothing fall to the ground. "You see, I am looking for someone of the Praedari that could make me their bitch."

I gawked at the shamelessness Jyo had. Usagi however was blushing furiously while hiding behind me. I collected myself and cleared my throat before speaking again.

"Why?" I asked. "Are you planning to kill us?"

"Normally, I would, but I was to be a good girl. If I did, I get to fight one of the most dangerous witches to exist. And I love nothing more than to kill something challenging." Jyo replied casually. "Plus it'd be a fun change of pace to belong to someone."

For some reason, I felt a twinge of jealously. The way she was talking reminded me a lot of Shotaro-sensei.

"Think about it this way, you remove a killer from the streets, and get an ally, or prisoner at the same time." the girl said with a smirk.

I took a moment to contemplate Jyo's offer. I was skeptical of a killer magical girl willing to put herself at the mercy of those who'd kill her easily.

"If you truly mean what you just said, give me your soul gem." I stated while locking my eyes with the girl's own.

The girl grinned and shook her head.

"Sorry, but how can I be certain that you won't destroy it?" she asked before holding up her right hand, revealing a silver ring with a completely clear gem embedded. "You Praedari are known to kill magical girls on sight usually."

"You're more informed than I realized." I said with a sigh. "Fine, but you're to stay by my side at all times."

Jyo only smirked upon hearing that before nodding in acknowledgement.

"So, you're into girls huh?" she asked. "Just so you know, I'm older than I look. I'm actually seventeen."

I growled at the girl before looking at Usagi. My sister was more composed now as she stepped out from behind me and her eyes focused upon the self-proclaimed serial killer.

"Well Usagi, is she speaking the truth?" I asked my sister.

"My armband didn't vibrate the whole time, so she's telling the truth, Sekai-nee." Usagi said calmly.

My blood went cold upon hearing that. I never thought I'd ever encounter a magical girl who was also a murderer. I was never told how to deal with someone like that during orientation. What the hell am I going to do about this?

**~Witch - Sentire Valere ~**

I opened up my eyes as I sensed a presence enter my wards. The air was filled of screeching of anticipation of a meal, however, they fell silent the moment I growled.

This has been a routine for me. Intruders come in, intending to slay me, and I am forced to fight them in order to survive. I formed wards to keep people out, as I had no intention of eating humans, preferring to devour those like myself instead. The only ones who could enter were what I once was and am now.

The memories of my past were fragmented and few. I don't remember my name, what I looked like, or how I became what I am now. But I do remember that I wasn't always like this. That and something I once said.

"I wish I would protect others and not bring harm to the innocent and peaceful, no matter what I become."

I feel like that is related to what I am, but had no clue to what the connection was.

I shook my head before extending my wings. I had to confront this intruder, hopefully I can scare her off without any fear.

_~Puella Magi - Kyouko Sakura ~_

The sound of snow crunching underfoot echoed with every step I took into the witch's wards. I tightened my grip on my spear as I walked on, all the while munching on the stick of pocky that dangled from the corner of my mouth.

The way the landscape was inside the labyrinth was quite unusual. There was absolutely nothing that would disorientate someone. It was rather spacious and large, though the "sky" was white with black stars and the ground was blanketed in what I had to guess was black snow. Grey trees were the only things that was present, though were few and far between. The weird winter scenery never felt cold at all as well.

Damn…this was so unusual compared to the other wards I've entered before. What made me be alert was the lack of familiars attacking me. By now the little bastards would be on me in a swarm. Now where the hell was that witch?

Just when I asked myself that, I ducked just in time to narrowly avoid a projectile from behind. I quickly stuffed what was left of the pocky into my mouth while turning towards the direction that the projectile came from. It was about damn time.

Flying towards me was what had to be the witch. It looked a lot like a tyrannosaurus with large bat wings for arms and a longer neck. Its skin was smooth and ebony while the teeth were snow white with some protruding upwards from the lower jaw, like a pair of tusks. Its eyes however were a contrast to the otherwise sinister demeanor it had, they were a soft blue in coloration, and were lively and brilliant.

The dragon like behemoth landed not far from me, growling softly while folding its wings against its body. It stared at me, as if it was examining me. I felt its eyes focused upon my own as it growled softly.

I hastily got up and got ready, pointing my spear at the witch. I didn't know what it was doing, but rushing in blindly was asking for death. It was obvious this beast could fly and attack from a distance.

The witch then craned its head back while extending its wings once again before it roared loudly. The skin of the wings turned from a dark black to a brilliant red.

Was it trying to scare me? It was doing a poor job if that's the case. The roar was giving me an earache though.

"Stop with the theatrics and let me kill you." I said in annoyance before charging forward. I aimed my spear towards the chest and ran as fast as I could.

The witch stopped its roaring and moved faster than it looked, positioning its wings in front of its chest to protect it. The moment the tip of my spear touched the membrane, a loud clink rang as my weapon bounced off like it hit something harder than steel. The giant newt was obviously twice the size of me, and now I learned that those wings were more than just flight. However, the chest had to be its weak point if it guarded it like that.

However, before I could make my next move, green ribbons erupted from the black snow faster than the eye could move, coiling around my arms and legs. The same kind of restraints also ensnared the witch. Once they got a good hold on us both, we were pulled down on to the ground despite how hard we pulled at them to break free.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have important business with Sentire Valere." a new voice said in a casual manner.

I stopped resisting upon seeing the witch turn its head in the direction the voice came from, and I followed suit. My eyes widened in disbelief immediately.

"Who or what the hell are you?" I cried out, unable to make out what I was seeing.

Standing to my left was a weird girl. And by weird, I mean not normal. The upper part of the body was human, but from the waist down was that of a snake. Her human half looked like that of a seventeen year old girl wearing a sleeveless Gothic Lolita dress that was a dark green in coloration. Her medium length lime green hair was held up in a single ponytail from the right side by a ribbon that matched the clothes' color. Her skin was a deathly white with a scar running down the length of her left arm. However, besides the dark green snake half with a yellow belly, she had ebony eyes with light green irises and slit pupils.

"I am not sure myself." the freak, who was owner of the voice, said with uncertainty. "Although I do know is that I am one born from despair."

Shit… How come I didn't notice her until now?

Without another word, she slithered over towards me before caressing my cheek with the tip of her tail. I involuntarily shivered at how cold it was against my skin. She lowered the tail in a teasing manner against my body, causing me to shiver more as I felt the coldness through my clothes. I glared into her eyes defiantly despite how my body reacted.

"Humans are as amusing as they are delicious." the snake freak said in amusement. "However, I definitely enjoy playing with magical girls even more."

As the snake lowered her upper body towards me, she paused when a threatening growl echoed through the air before turning her attention towards the witch.

"Oh? You don't want me to hurt her?" the freak asked, as if she understood the witch.

She then smirked menacingly before looking back towards me.

"Don't worry, I won't leave a single bruise, I just wanted to copulate with this magical girl." she addressed the witch in a reassuring tone. "I only want to see if I can have children after all."

I began pull at my restraints once again, this time as hard as I could. I was in no fucking way going to be raped by some half human monster. The witch too began to shake violently at the restraints as it opened up its mouth to roar defiantly. The snake's eyes widened in shock as her mouth opened, meanwhile revealing two fangs protruding from where her canines would be.

"Why are you against that? She will kill you the first chance she gets." she protested. "Your kind preys upon humans, and the magical girls are your predators!"

What the hell is going on here? Was that witch…_against_ what the freak wanted to do to me? This has officially became the weirdest day of my life.

The dragon shook its head violently before roaring once again. The snake bitch frowned as she moved towards the witch.

"Perhaps once I make you one of us, you'll understand." she said coldly. Once she got close, she opened up her mouth lunged forward, sinking her fangs into the skin of the dragon. It roared in agony while flailing as much as possible, obviously trying to get free. After several minutes, the giant gave a guttural cry before its entire body went limp.

Once it became still, the freak raised her head to remove her fangs. As she slithered away from the witch, its body began to dissolve.

"Damn you, that was my kill!" I snapped in anger.

"You magical girls always see witches as either monsters to kill or cattle to slaughter. However, have you ever considered that some of them could retain their individuality from those who were once magical girls? " the freak asked coldly. "I don't know my origins, but I do know I can reawaken those who fell into despair, but only if very specific conditions are met. This witch, Sentire Valere, may have met them all. "

"What kind of crap are you talking about?" was the only thing I could say in response.

"Sentire Valere is a witch that still has fragments of her memory that are strong enough to override her instincts as a witch to devour humans. Obviously you must have noticed the lack of familiars attacking you." the snake woman explained. "If she has the potential to reawaken, it will because she had a wish that would retain her individuality in some manner upon becoming a witch."

As she spoke, my eyes wandered over towards the body of the witch as it kept on dissolving. About half of it was gone now as the green ribbons disappeared into thin air. The corpse began to dissolve even faster before revealing a human lying in the black snow, or rather, something that was human like.

The snake must have also saw the body, as she clapped her hands while laughing in joy.

"She did reawaken." she said giddily before leaving me once again to approach the body.

The body that was there in place of the witch stirred as a soft groan filled the air.

A pair of reptilian wings extended up into the air as the figure sat upright, revealing to be a nude teenage girl when I saw her breasts. Besides her wings, the rest of her body was completely human from what I could see, but with the same deathly pale skin color as the freak. Her eyes were closed, leaving them a mystery to me at the moment. Her long silver hair reached her waist.

Once again, what the hell is going on here?

"I am glad you were able to come back, Sentire Valere." the snake said in a friendly demeanor.

The winged girl opened her eyes, revealing them to be ebony with blue irises. She looked down to examine her arms before turning to face the other freak while her face contorted to one of confusion.

"What happened to me?" she asked.

"Good, you still remember how to talk." the snake said in relief. "I reawakened your complete consciousness with my magic, which in turn caused your body to transform to what it is now."

The former witch blinked in confusion before looking down. She gasped in shock upon realizing she was nude and blushed deeply. Her wings then wrapped around her body, preserving her modesty. At the same time, I saw a black tail curve upwards briefly before falling back down.

I know I am repeating myself now, but seriously… What the fucking hell is going on here?!

"You're no longer a monster, but at the same time, it's impossible for you to become human again." the snake said. "Anyway, I call myself Lamia. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I see…" the winged girl said with a from. She slowly turned her attention towards me and looked into my eyes with concern.

"What are you going to do with her?" she asked that snake bitch, Lamia.

"If you don't mind, how about we make her our toy?" she suggested. "I honestly am curious to see if I can have her carry my egg."

"You're sick…" the winged girl said in disgust before rising to her feet. As she rose, I saw that her legs transitioned from the deathly white to dark black scales from the knees downwards. She staggered for a moment but regained her balance before she extended her wings to grasp at Lamia's throat with her right hand. "I won't let you do that to a helpless girl, even if she wanted to kill me before you showed up."

"Even after I reawakened you out of the kindness of my heart, Sentire Valere, you still want to defy me by protecting your predator?" she asked while glaring at the draconic girl.

"I remember very little still." she said before tightening her grip on the freak's throat. " However, I can't allow you to bring any harm to her."

"What are you thinking?!" Lamia gasped in shock. "Are you willing to protect your mortal enemies?"

"If you put it that way, then yes." the silver haired girl admitted with a smirk that vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Now let the girl go."

The snake fell silent before raising a hand to snap her fingers. The ribbons that held me in place vanished, allowing me to immediately get to my feet. I felt my body ache from where the restraints were a moment ago. I grabbed my spear and pointed it at the two half human monsters.

"If you leave now, I assure you that your life will be spared." the former witch addressed to me firmly while glaring over her shoulder. " But if you come towards me, or return with the intent to kill, I will see you as an enemy and crush you."

Damn… I had no idea what either of these freaks could do in a battle. Hell, I don't even know if that winged one would drop a grief seed now if I kill her, let alone the snake. Are they witches or something else? Regardless, while I may need a grief seed, I wasn't desperate for it right now. Besides, this has became way too weird for me to handle.

I frowned and nodded, not wanting to take any chances. With that, I stepped back a few times to make sure either of the freaks made a move towards me before turning around and run from the direction I came from.

That damn Kyubey has some explaining to do about this.

_~Civilis~_

The van came to a complete stop as I looked out the window at the destination.

What I saw was a church that was left abandoned and in disrepair after its pastor killed his family before committing suicide. From what I had heard, the church's pastor preached things not of the teachings of the faith, resulting in the congregation to stop coming to worship, and the pastor to become excommunicated. Then all of a sudden, many people began to flock to the church again at an absurd rate. Just when it looked like the ousted pastor was rebounding, tragedy struck.

Why would a pastor who was successful just kill his own family and take his own life like he had nothing left to live for?

Things didn't add up. It was like with my parents turning from selfish bastards to perfect parents overnight, as well as my sister disappearing.

I remember reading that there was a single survivor of that travesty. She was an orphan who would be in her teens. I couldn't remember her name exactly, but was it Sasame Kyonko or something like that? God, it was like three in the morning when I read that article online.

I want to talk to that girl. There were some eerie parallels between what happened to both of us that I felt were not just sheer coincidences. Both of us had experienced tough times, then something very unusual happening at an insane speed to us, and finally losing our families not long after the weird event…

Those three things stood out the most to me.

I was brought back to reality upon feeling a hand gently shaking my shoulder. I turned my attention towards the driver who brought me here.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought." I replied with a smile.

"Alright." the old man said with a smile.

**~Puella Magi -Katsura Misaka ~**

"I won't deny that it's not all that glamorous as it is in anime at times." I said with a smile. I focused my eyes upon the young girl before me as Kyubey remained perched upon my shoulder. "But there are so many things that you can do."

"A-Are you telling me the truth?" the girl looked at me with uncertainty, but was almost fully convinced.

I chortled a little before I offered my hand.

"Yeah, I assure you, it's worth it. Plus there's also your wish, remember." I reassured her as Kyubey jumped off my shoulder. "You can ask just about anything you want. Sky's the limit."

I held out my soul gem and tossed it into the air as I closed my eyes. My clothes vanished to be replaced by my magical girl outfit. Replacing the black tank top and denim miniskirt I wore is now a magenta tube top and miniskirt. A red collar appeared across my neck. My arms and legs also brandished scarlet shackles that each had matching chains dangling from the side. My feet were encased in a pair of heeled boots that were a glistening pink. I grabbed my soul gem and held it to my collar while turning it into a pendant that hung from a loop in the front.

The girl looked at me with a mix of shock and awe.

"If you're wondering, the outfits are as diverse as there are wishes." I explained. "You can't really decide what it looks like exactly, but a general idea can influence it."

"Why do you have a collar?" the girl asked.

I smirked a bit and looked in her in the eye.

"I think it was because it was influenced by my wish." I replied. "I broke free from some bad men who were using me to their own ends after I made a contract with Kyubey. The collar and shackles represent what I was before."

"I see…What was your wish?" the girl asked me out of curiosity.

"Some things are better off unsaid." I replied bluntly while frowning a bit. "So, have you made up your mind?"

"I have." she said with a nod. "I...I want to become a magical girl."

"Alright, Kyubey, you can take it from here." I said before turning to leave. "I got something personal to take care of."

"Very well," Kyubey said before turning his attention to the girl. " Now then, what is your wish?"

I walked out of the alleyway and swung my left arm up, causing the chain to stretch up and attach itself to the building's side before pulling me up towards the roof. Once close enough, I leaped up onto the roof as the chain detached itself and returned to its original length.

"Sorry, but I can't let you ruin everything. " I said to the unexpected guest.

A man dressed completely in black stood in front of me with what looked to be some kind of sniper rifle in hand. Holstered on both sides were a pair of handguns and a shotgun was strapped to his back. He remained completely silent as he lowered the gun to the ground. I swung one of my chains as a whip, forcing the man to jump away from the gun and my attack.

"Sorry, but I can't let you be near that. Now slowly remove those guns and toss them over the side. " I demanded as I had the chains straighten out forward , turning them into makeshift rods. "Now, which letter are you, Praedari?"

"Epsilon." the man said bluntly before slowly lowering both hands to the guns at the sides. My chains stretched forward, stopping between Epsilon's hands and his guns.

"One at a time, and slowly." I instructed.

Just before the Praedari complied, a green blur leaped up from my left and fell towards me, forcing me to leap back just before a spiked battle hammer struck the spot where I stood. As I expected, the attacker was a magical girl.

She had light green hair, slightly wavy I might add, was kept in a low ponytail that went past her shoulders just a little. Holding the ponytail up was a white ribbon. Her emerald eyes were cold and focused solely upon me through her thin-framed glasses.

Her outfit was a green tailcoat that was buttoned up with a white collared shirt underneath it. In addition was a knee length pleated skirt that matched the tailcoat in coloration while her feet were covered in white tights and short green boots. Completing the outfit were a pair of white gloves, a white ascot tie and a green star-shaped gem brooch fastened to the right side of her tailcoat.

"What do you have against me?" I asked the magical girl.

The green girl raised her weapon and charged towards me once again.

"What are you doing?!" she screamed in fury as her hammer's spike began to glow while starting to enlarge in size. She then swung the hammer spike first in an obvious attempt to impale me.

I retaliated by making my chains go slack before swinging one of them to entangle the hammer with it while leaping up into the air. As I descended, I saw Epsilon slowly vanish into thin air as I saw his white armband glow briefly. I quickly turned my attention back towards the magical girl and pulled on my chain, prying the hammer out of her grasp. The weapon landed before my feet landed on the roof once again near it.

" Okay, just who do you think you are, trying to attack me like that? I don't have any grief seeds." I said in annoyance before glaring at the girl who was fourteen years of age now that I got a good look at her.

"I saw you with Kyubey trying to make a contract." the girl said in anger. "If I didn't move the moment you left, I wouldn't have saved her."

I froze in place in shock. She prevented Kyubey from making a contract?

"Damn you…" I cursed before I swung my arms downwards, causing the chains to pierce into the rooftop. "Do you understand that Kyubey's trying to help us survive?"

The magical girl's eyes narrowed in fury as she clenched her fists. The hammer I removed from her vanished in a green light before reappearing in front of her before she quickly grasped it with both hands.

"Why? Why do you embrace the bastard's methods?!" she demanded while the head of the hammer began to grow in size.

"He saved my life." I said firmly while stepping forward with the chains still imbedded in the roof. "I don't fully understand his reasons, but I truly get that everything is for the greater good of the universe."

The girl froze in place as her eyes widened in shock.

"Do you care about how much magical girls suffer after forming a contract?" she asked.

"You only call it suffering if you let it get to you." I retorted callously before stomping my foot twice.

Before she could react, multiple chains erupted from the ceiling underneath her, ensnaring her and her weapon.

"I can tell your strength comes through your emotions, but you let them cloud your judgment." I pointed out before grabbing the chains attached to my shackles before pulling on them, forcing my opponent to her knees, despite her resisting. I charged forward before driving my right knee into the girl's face, knocking her head backwards as she gritted her teeth in pain. I then lifted my leg up into the air as the chain attached to the shackle began to wrap around my foot.

"You're not weak, just outclassed." I said before bringing the chain covered heel down onto the girl's head, forcing her face into the roof with enough force to have cracks form as it gave in a little. The green girl's outfit glowed before turning into a school uniform.

I undid my chains and carefully rolled her onto her back to see if her face was crushed inwards. I heard her groan weakly, indicating she was very much alive still, just out cold with a broken nose. It was then I saw Epsilon reappearing on my right with the shotgun pointed at my head.

"Relax, she's alive." I said while raising my hands up to show I meant no harm. I began walking back as the gun followed me.

The Praedari remained silent before walking towards the unconscious teen. He knelt beside her and placed the shotgun to a holster that was strapped to his back.

"So, what are you going to do to us?" I asked out of curiosity.

Epsilon looked over his shoulder but remained silent. I frowned in annoyance when I didn't get a reply.

"Are you going to kill me? Make us your playthings?" I pressed, raising my voice a bit.

"…Neither…" the Praedari replied briefly before scooping up the girl and held her bridal style.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't try killing you." I said threateningly.

Epsilon remained quiet for a moment before turning his helmeted head towards me.

"Ero dopo questo." he replied before turning his back to me before he and the girl disappeared into thin air.

"I see now, that's invisibility." I mused with a smirk. "Just because you're invisible doesn't mean you can escape me."

I didn't hear Epsilon make a response. Then again, he could be gone already. Regardless, it would be pointless to pursuit them right now. My primary objective is to help make as many magical girls as possible.

I have been a magical girl for over four years, and things have always been interesting ever since I started. I have devoted myself in furthering Kyubey's goals. He showed me that Humanity advanced so far due to Kyubey's intervention throughout history. Sacrifice was necessary for progress.

I smirked a bit as I recalled my wish.

I wished for the despair of magical girls to evolve, to become something that surpasses even the knowledge that we become witches. Something that makes death look innocent and peaceful.

I believe my price is to become the very thing I wished for, but I'll gladly pay any price if it means helping my savior's ambitions.

_~Praedari Alpha~_

I heard my cellphone ring loudly as I came out of the shower. I grumbled under my breath before wrapping the belt of my bathrobe around my waist before walking out. It has been a long day, and I just wanted to go to sleep now.

I opened the door and walked down the hallway towards my room. I picked up the pace and went to the door and grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, only to frown when it refused to move. I cursed before I started to slam myself against the door, attempting to open the door. My cellphone rarely rang, and the only time when it does is when I am to be given orders.

"DAMMIT!" I screamed while applying more force. "NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR THIS SHIT!"

"Having some door trouble, hentai?" I heard Nozomi asked in an amused tone from behind me.

"I swear to god, if you're keeping me out on purpose, it'll be your fault that we are killed!" I said in a panic.

The magical girl frowned in annoyance while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"What do you mean exactly?" she asked.

"If I don't answer, my boss might send someone to kill us!" I replied while trying to turn the doorknob once again.

"Really?" Nozomi pressed, still skeptical about what I was saying. She snapped her fingers and the fucking doorknob finally turned. "Rather not risk it then, regardless of it being true or not."

I immediately swung the door open and bolted inside to grab the cell phone from my bed stand. I pressed the button and held it to my ear before speaking into it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"It's about time you picked up, Alpha." I heard the Chief said in relief. "You were starting to worry me."

"My apologies, Chief." I said apologetically. I was a bit weary of him since the meeting, but I acted like nothing changed between us. "I was in the shower."

"Ah, I see. Anyway, I am calling in regards to a transfer." the old man said casually.

My eyes immediately widened upon hearing the word "transfer." I was told that I was to remain in the sector I am assigned with Delta until we were no longer capable of fulfilling our duty.

"I'm getting transferred?" I asked, trying my hardest to remain calm.

The Chief laughed in response before he replied.

"No, I am not transferring you. I am letting you know that you and Delta are getting some back up from the Saitama Prefecture. His real name is Tenkimaru Sakurai, but he's known as Praedari Pi. Perhaps you heard about him or the Puella Magi that works with him, Jeri Mandeni."

My mind went blank. There wasn't a single Praedari in Japan who hasn't heard the story about those two. Pi was the first Praedari to officially work alongside a magical girl openly in the field after striking some kind of deal with the Chief. Jeri was infamous by herself. Rumors circulated that she'd sex anything that moved, leading to many of the male Praedari to guess what she'd most likely go for. That and she was a murderous psychopath.

"Alpha, are you there?" the Chief's voice snapped me out of my stupor.

"Sorry, I was kinda surprised you chose those two. Is there a reason why?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Two actually, the first is to have Pi keep tabs on your pets, while the second is for you to attempt putting a 'leash' on that nympho of a Puella Magi." the old man answered without hesitation.

I frowned as I listened to the Chief's reply.

"When should I expect them to arrive?" I asked.

"I'll send you the coordinates of the rendezvous point when the earliest opportunity arises." was the old man's response.

"Anything else I should be aware of regarding Pi or the magical- I mean Puella Magi?"

"Don't let the Puella Magi be bored for long periods of time."

I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Okay… I won't ask for details right now, sir. " I said in acknowledgement. "Is that all?"

"Ah, almost forgot. I'm also sending Nu and Mu as insurance since you're going to be dealing with a loose cannon."

My eyes once again widened, only this time to be followed by an excited grin forming on my face.

"Arigato, Chief. That's reassuring to hear." I said, unable to contain my excitement. This is probably the best thing I've heard all day.

It's been a long time since I've seen the twins. I may had help them learn the ropes a few times, but we all shared the same goals, though through different methods. The twins sought to prevent girls from becoming magical girls through nonviolent methods, while I hoped to understand the Incubator's system in every way possible in order to find something that can be exploited or stopped.

They were the only ones of the Preadari I could truly trust my life with. To be honest, I actually held crushes on them both. I don't understand exactly why others say that's wrong to have feelings for more than one person? Still, that was in the past.

"That's all for now. You have a nice evening, Alpha." the Chief said before hanging up, bringing me out of thought.

Turning off the cell phone and placing it back onto the bed stand before turning around to see my roommates poking their heads out of curiosity.

"What's going on Sho-kun?" Izumi asked first. "Are we moving?"

I shook my head as my smile was replaced with a frown.

"The opposite, we're having people moving in with us. Praedari Pi and a magical girl." I announced.

" Seriously? One of your friends is named after a dessert?" I heard Nozomi deadpan.

"Actually, Praedari are addressed by a letter of the Greek Alphabet." Izumi explained for me. "Pi is the sixteenth letter if you're wondering."

" Also, Sekai and Usagi are coming." I said as my smile reappeared.

Izumi's face immediately turned sour for some reason upon my mentioning of the twin's names.

"Who are they?" I heard Fuuko ask as she walked into the bedroom.

"They're Praedari as well, but they're close friends of mine." I replied.

"A little too close in my opinion." Izumi muttered bitterly.

I laughed nervously as tension formed in the air.

Fuuko and Nozomi both looked from their fellow magical girl over towards me and back to Izumi. They both repeated this action for a few moments before the brunette shook her head in disappointment.

"I can't believe this." she muttered softly before her head vanished from view as she walked off.

I turned my attention towards Fuuko, who only looked at me with a concerned look.

"Something wrong, Enoshima-san?" I asked.

She shook her head and smiled a little.

"It's nothing, Sakamichi-kun." she replied, only furthering my growing confusion.

_~Praedari- Phi~_

I groaned as I came to my senses. The sight that I saw upon opening my eyes was of a lightened ceiling of an enclosed bus shelter.

I sat upright, seeing a face with her medium teal hair disheveled, with bangs covering the left blue eye while the right red eye stared back. Her outfit was of a ruined tank top that was scarlet from being drenched in blood while the pants had various rips and tears in various places. I remembered fleeing on a motorcycle I stole before getting hit by a car from my side, causing me to get into an accident.

I turned my attention from my reflection down towards the ground, noticing both the damaged motorcycle helmet and the teal soul gem that I reluctantly came back to collect next to my feet. I didn't understand why, but I had this odd feeling that I was to keep it with me at all times.

"Oh, you're finally awake." I heard a kind voice said in relief from my left when I came around. I turned my attention towards to see a teen girl with golden hair with spiraling twin tails. Her outfit was of a middle school uniform. My eye involuntarily twitched when I noticed her rack. Dammit, she was obviously larger than me.

"How are you feeling?" the blonde asked while looking into my eyes. "That was quite the accident you were in a moment ago.

"I'm fine…" I said with a frown. I reached down to pick up my helmet when I saw a familiar white creature sitting next to it. Memories flooded my mind as well as a sudden surge of rage.

"YOU AGAIN!" I screamed before grabbing the damn creature by the throat and lifted it up into the air with one hand. "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL DO YOU WANT NOW, YOU SHITBAG?!"

"Calm down, Kyubey's not here to cause trouble." the blonde said in an effort to diffuse my anger. I darted my eyes over towards the girl while tightening my grip on the bastard's throat. The fact that she knew this creature meant that she was most likely a magical girl.

"Answer me, are you a magical girl?" I demanded in a low voice.

"My name is Tomoe Mami." the blonde introduced herself. "And I am indeed a magical girl. "

I immediately dropped the psychic cat and hastily grabbed my helmet before putting it back on. I reached and pulled out a small switchblade from my pants pocket.

"What do you want from me?" I asked while pressing the button to have the blade come out.

"Please, calm down. I have not intentions to harm you in any way." Mami pleaded while holding up her hands to show she wasn't a threat.

I glared at the girl before charging forward, not wanting to take any chances. The girl immediately held out her hand as several yellow ribbons materialized and wrapped themselves around me just before my blade could pierce her chest. The ribbons held me in place, no matter how hard I struggled.

"Damn it…Let me go!" I yelled while glaring at the magical girl.

"Why do you see me as an enemy?" Mami asked me, her eyes showing a mix of confusion and slight fear.

"BECAUSE YOU ARE A MAGICAL GIRL!" I screamed.

The blonde took a step back while looking at me with a look of bewilderment. I took a moment to collect myself before continuing.

"You are a threat to humanity." I added curtly. "You and witches alike."

The magical girl came to her senses after hearing what I said before sighing.

"You're wrong, I am nothing like witches." Mami said with a hurt look. "I fight witches to protect people."

"Not the first time I heard that bullshit." I retorted. " I've heard that same line many times from magical girls that I've been forced to kill."

I saw Mami's eyes widened in shock before taking a step back.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked me.

I couldn't help but laugh a bit, though it was bitterly.

"I'm a Praedari. Have you ever heard of them?" I asked solemnly.

Mami shook her head, silently telling me she had no idea of what they were.

"Praedari are killers hired to eliminate witches and magical girls alike." I explained. "No matter if we are convicted serial killers or mercenaries, all that matters is that we kill."

The magical girl stared at me in disbelief.

""We all have taken a life with our own hands one way or another. That is the first step in being selected to become a Praedari." I continued.

"Why would you do such a thing?" the schoolgirl pressed.

I fell silent while clenching my teeth.

"To survive." I said softly before glaring down towards the damned Kyubey. "But thanks to the fucking cat, I'm marked for death myself!"

"Because you're a magical girl?" Mami asked.

"I DIDN'T WANT THIS!" I screamed once more as tears started to form in my eyes.

"Please, calm down. I want to help you." Mami pleaded.

I stopped and began laughing dryly.

"You want to help someone that will kill you first chance she gets?" I asked.

"You don't sound like someone who enjoys killing others." the blonde said, not showing any fear.

I sighed and relented. This girl was able to see right through me. Or was it just that obvious?

"You're right." I admitted before letting go of the knife, allowing it to fall to the ground. "I hate this life… For everyday, for years, I have lived so close to death's clutches, where refusing to obey or the simplest mistake will result in death. Now, I can only run escape. It's the only way I can live. Standing still or fighting back only guarantee my death, all because I became a fucking magical girl."

Mami fell silent, unable to come up with anything in response. I felt my restraints loosen up allowing me to move again. However, I stood still, uncertain of what to do now.

The two of us stood in silence, looking into each other's eyes, trying to figure out what to do next.

_~Civilis~_

I heard the car drive off, leaving me alone at the abandoned church. I tried to open the door to the abandoned church, only for it to fall down after I tried to push against it with all my strength. I couldn't help but shake my head in slight disappointment.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" I heard the voice of a young girl said from behind me.

I immediately turned around to see a young girl with red hair taking a bite out of an apple she held in one hand while carrying a paper bag filled with more in the other.

"What do you want here? " the girl asked while narrowing her eyes a little. "If you're here to loot the place, you're not going to find anything here."

"I'm here looking for somebody." I replied calmly while crossing my arms in front of my chest. "There was a pastor who preached at this very church, but his teachings were seen as radical."

The girl took another bite of her apple while listening to me. After chewing in silence, she swallowed before speaking up.

"So, you know what happened to the pastor?" she asked, her voice relaying a hint of weariness towards me."

"He was excommunicated from the church, and for a long period of time, nobody came to listen to his sermons." I continued while lowering my arms. "As a result, the pastor, his wife and two daughters struggled to survive. However, there was something that happened afterwards that caught my attention."

The girl remained silent as she took a deep bite into the apple, her eyes focused completely upon me as her body tensed up slightly. I turned my back to the girl and began walking down the aisle, heading towards the pedestal.

" Literally overnight, the ousted pastor suddenly had people coming in droves to listen to his sermons, and more kept on coming." I said as I walked behind the stand, gently brushing my fingertips against the spot reserved for only the church's bible.

"That is the first thing that doesn't make sense. It's also what the pastor did that makes things so unusual."

I looked at the girl who became really tense while glaring daggers towards me.

" Why would a pastor who finally found those who will listen to him just-"

"Kill his family and commit suicide?" The girl interjected firmly while walking towards me. "Why are you interested in that exactly?"

"I want to speak to the only survivor of that unusual tragedy." I replied calmly. "It's obvious that you know exactly what I'm talking about."

The redhead finished her apple and set the bag down with the apple core next to it.

"What do you want to know exactly?" she asked me.

I began to feel like that if I say the wrong thing, this girl would kill me without a second thought. Taking a moment to collect my thoughts, I carefully chose my words. I inhaled slowly before opening my mouth to speak.

"I experienced something just as unusual. My experience had similar oddities that I can't just accept as mere coincidence."

The redhead fell silent before reaching for an apple from the bag and tossing it towards me. I clumsily reached out to grasp the fruit. I examined it briefly before noticing a really bad bruise. I casually tossed over my shoulder.

"I don't like eating bad food." I said.

The redhead immediately stormed right up to my face and grasped me by my shirt.

"DON'T WASTE FOOD!" she yelled right into my face. "I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DO THAT AGAIN!"

I involuntarily flinched before realizing who this girl was. Only someone who had lived through poverty would value food like the girl just did.

"You must be that girl who survived." I said in realization. "Sakurai Kyonko, right?"

"It's Sakura Kyoko." the redhead corrected me while deadpanning a little.

"My bad, Sakura-san." I apologized before the girl let go of me as she went over towards the apple I tossed.

"It's fine…" she said flatly before picking up the fruit. "So, what's your story? You know mine already, but I don't have a single clue about yours."

"Fair enough, I'll start from the beginning." I said while nodding.

**~Praedari - Sigma~**

"Why won't you die?!" the magical girl cried as she crawled backwards, or rather attempted to since I had cut off bother her legs from the knees down.

"Why? Because I am tasked by God to eliminate demons like you." I said calmly while pointing my bloodied katana towards her.

"But I am not a demon. I want to help cure everyone's curses." the girl said as tears streamed down her face.

I stopped as a smile formed on my face before snorting slightly.

" You want to cure their 'curses' ? AHAHAHA! OH THAT'S JUST RICH!" I laughed uncontrollably.

The magical girl whimpered as she looked at me in fear. I calmed down while smiling at the young girl of presumably thirteen years of age.

"You demons say the most ridiculous lies. Whether you can use magic or not, you're the same." I said before spinning my body to slash my katana horizontally.

The demon never had the chance to scream before I sliced her jaw clean off before bisecting the rest of her head vertically in one fluid movement. I swung my blade at my side, causing the blood to fly off the metal and splatter across the ground.

I reached down and tore off the soul gem from the corpse and brought it to my mouth. I bit down hard on the egg like jewel before it shattered easily. I spat out the fragments that were within my mouth before tossing the rest down towards the demon's corpse.

Women are all demons. They seduce men's hearts for their own whims, and then discard them like garbage once they grow tired of them.

God tasked me with the extermination of these demons, for the sake of humanity. The police failed to understand the threat women pose against us, branding me as a mere killer and threw me into prison.

Just when I thought I was to fall into despair, salvation came to me in the offer to become a Praedari. While I was forbidden to kill every wretched woman I encounter, I was informed about ones that are even more dangerous than the everyday demon. The ones called magical girls.

For the sake of my holy crusade, I must eliminate the demons that pose the biggest threat to men.

I remembered the call I received earlier regarding my new partner, Epsilon. To think so many demons are residing in his very home…

"I shall free you from those demons, my dear Epsilon." I vowed while clutching my sword.

* * *

_"What do you want with me?"_

_"I am the perfect hunter."_

_"The pleasure is all mine."_

_"Y-Y-You're a magical girl too?!"_

_"Despair brings evolution."_

_"What is wrong with sharing?"_

_"You are stupid to think that your magic can stop me."_

_"What am I exactly?!"_

_"I want you to join my cause."_

_"We must protect Walpurgis Nacht at all cost."_

_"Let's form a band!"_

_Morality is something that is never consistent, as it's different to both each individual person and the location they live in. It changes as society progresses. What can be seen as good one day can become taboo easily the next. In that regard, the definition of good and evil is never the same to everyone as well. Change occurs to even hope and despair. To endure, one must change as well._

_Next time: Bonding Rondo_

* * *

I really hope that I did Mami and Kyouko's personalities right, or close enough. Going with what I had for just the manga was just hard to work with.

For the nameless Civilis, I am purposely leaving that character as ambiguous as possible for your imagination. The Civilis's not intended for character or insertion, though I can't stop you from doing that if you wish. An identity will be created as the story goes, but for now, anything goes. And yes, this Civilis is the same one who appeared in the prologue.

I bet some of you were wondering about the whole witch faction for the OC submission outline, and now you can see why I had it there. For those wondering, Lamia and Sentire Valere are still witches, despite being more human like and self aware. And yes, these abnormal witches are the central antagonists.

Thanks for everyone who's submitted OC's so far. I hope that those who appeared this chapter acted how you imagined them to be. Some of the OC's I created, like Misaka for example, were to act as rivals for some of the submitted OC's.

Okay, for those who are interested in submitting a Praedari OC, here's the Greek letters that are still available.

Beta

Gamma

Zeta (Keep in mind that this Zeta will be the replacement to the deceased one)

Eta

Iota

Kappa

Lambda

Omicron

Rho

Tau

Upsilon

Chi

Psi

Omega

As for those interested in submitting a witch OC now, here is the additional outline for them. If you want your witch to be in an "awakened" type like Lamia and Sentire Valere, please also include the wish that the witch made to become a magical girl.

**Witch Name:**

**Witch appearance:**

**Origin: familiar or magical girl**

**"Awakened" ?:**

**"Awakened" appearance:**

**Familiar appearance:**

**Attribute: (I.e. guilt, loneliness, etc.)**

**Powers:**

**Ward/Labyrinth:**

I apologize for not putting it up at the Prologue, but I purposely withheld that until Lamia showed up.

For those who are confused or annoyed about there being smart witches, lemme point out something. The possibility for them to exist could happen through a wish. If gods could be born, why not witches like Lamia too?

That's about it for now, thanks for reading this far and i hope to see you all next time.


	4. Bonding Rondo

_~Praedari-Alpha~_

I groaned as the damn song blared loudly, keeping me from sleeping. Growling in annoyance I got up and went to the door before opening it. I actually enjoyed the song honestly, but I was tired as hell, and this was just torture to me, having to hear it over and over so much at a loud volume. I inhaled slowly while closing my eyes. Opening them, I opened my mouth to speak

"TURN DOWN THE DAMN MUSIC, NOZOMI! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" I screamed as loud as I could before slamming the door loudly, only to fall onto my bed, my face landing into the pillow.

I sobbed into the pillow as the music only increased in volume. This is going to be a long, agonizing night…

* * *

**Bonding Rondo**

* * *

_~Civilis- Nobunaga Himari~_

I froze in place just as the music for the song concluded, and the crowd broke out in cheering as the concert finally came to an end.

"Himari! Himari!" the crowd chanted.

"ARIGATO, MINNA!" I cried out exuberantly, waving to my fans with a cheerful smile before the stage lights turned off. Once shrouded by darkness, I immediately ran offstage and straight into my dressing room, slamming the door behind. I immediately went into a corner and curled up into a ball.

I hate this life… Being an idol was nothing like I was told. I was only an object for my parents to make money with. They always forbid me to do anything what I want to do. Instead, they dictated my every move. I had to act like I was happy, not the tormented person I really am or else I am forced to starve for two days. Since I was now sixteen, they were arranging my first gravure shooting for the following morning.

I felt something looking down at me from where the costume rack was. I slowly rose my head, only to make out a silhouette shaped like a weird rabbit in the darkness perched on top of the rack. I was able to feel its gaze as it leaped down to the floor. However, I involuntarily tensed up as the creature came towards me slowly. It was small, but I felt fear forming in the back of my mind, as well as a little familiarity.

The darkness melted away as the door was kicked down, revealing a pair of figures wearing black. One was completely covered, leaving her identity completely unknown, except for the gender based on how the outfit clung to her curves. The other girl however looked like she was wearing a black magical girl cosplay while holding what looked like a pair of miniature scythes in her hands.

"There you are, you little fucker!" the cosplayer said before bringing one of the blades down upon the rabbit, which looked like a stuffed rabbit. The plush opened its mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth as it screeched as the tip of the curved blade just missed the creature by what looked like a single millimeter. I watched in fear as the masked girl turned her attention towards me.

"I apologize for my friend's behavior, she is a big fan of yours." she said apologetically.

"What about that rabbit?" I asked while pointing towards the enraged plushy as the cosplayer discarded her weapon to wrestle with it directly. The pair began rolling around the ground, both trying to establish their dominance other the other.

"YOU'RE GONNA BE MINE!"

The masked girl groaned before raising a gun towards my face.

"I was really hoping you couldn't see that familiar." she said in disappointment. "Because of that, I have to kill you now."

"Wait… What do you mean!?" I asked, my eyes widening in shock before looking over towards the cosplayer as she rose with the rabbit in her arms. The living plush was now acting calm and peaceful within the girl's arms. Despite my fear, that nagging feeling of familiarity I had turned into realization. "So… that wasn't a dream after all."

The masked girl turned her attention towards the cosplayer and froze in place, completely missing what I just said.

"What the hell are you doing with that, Jyo-san?!" she said incredulously. "You know that it eats people!"

"Don't worry, I tamed it." the cosplayer said reassuringly before pointing to a black ribbon that was wrapped around the rabbit's neck. "One of many tricks I've gained."

"Gained?" the masked girl asked in confusion.

"My magic, Sekai-chan." Jyo said.

"Care to explain how you can do that exactly?" At this point, I was completely forgotten by Sekai, who lowered her gun as she gave her undivided attention towards the cosplayer.

"It's thanks to my wish." Jyo replied with a warm smile while cuddling the rabbit. "I am the perfect hunter."

"The perfect hunter?" Sekai questioned. "You've been with Usagi and me for over two days and you've never said anything about your wish."

"That's all I'm saying." the black haired girl said mischievously before bringing the living plush to the top of her head.

I looked up to see the plushy that was perched ontop of the cosplayer's head. It was looking at me with its large innocent looking black eyes. The longer I looked at it, the more certain I was that I encountered it before. The creature reminded me of what I thought was a dream.

I snuck out to go for a walk the other night when I somehow wound up in this weird place that looked like a plushy city made out of various pieces of fabric stitched together. After wandering around for a few minutes, I encountered a plush rabbit, and thought it was harmless when it hopped over towards me. I dropped my guard when I tried to pet it. It was only after it bit my hand that I realized that it was anything but friendly. I was then attacked by more of those plush rabbits. I ran for my life, only to trip and fall, giving the creatures the chance to surround me as my body began to feel heavy. However, just as one of them leaped to attack, the sound of gunfire filled the air, followed by many more as they took down each and every plush with pinpoint accuracy.

It was soon after that my savior appeared. A yellow magical girl with spiraling twin tails. She told me that I was no longer in danger. However, I quickly fell unconscious before I could ask her name. When I woke up, I was on a bench with my parents glaring down at me.

I came to my senses when I saw Jyo hold one of her scythes towards my neck.

"Question, can I kill you?" she asked me. "A high profile person like you would really raise my reputation. Besides, you seem to be the type to welcome death. Am I right?"

My mind went blank as I looked at the black haired girl in the eyes. Within those silver orbs were a mix of anticipation and curiosity.

"Jyo, don't joke about that." Sekai sternly warned the cosplayer .

"I wasn't." the other said while frowning. "We have two options with her. Either we kill her, or we find that pixy to make her a magical girl so that you have a legitimate reason to detain her."

"Wait… what did you just say?" I asked in confusion. "Something about making me a magical girl? Like in anime? And you'd take me away from here?!"

Jyo looked at me with a perplexed look on her face while Sekai shook her head.

"Out of the question!" the masked girl refused vehemently. " I am trying to prevent more magical girls from being born, not scouting them."

Jyo grinned as she turned her attention towards her friend while lowering her weapon.

"There is a third option now that I think about it." she countered. " Can she be one of you Praedari?"

"No, as I told you the other day, every one of the Praedari has killed at least one person before they were recruited. " Sekai reminded the silver eyed girl. "Regardless, until we figure out something, we can't just leave her alone. She has seen too much."

I didn't fully understand what the two were talking about, but I did get that I was either going to die or be kidnapped.

This is what I was waiting for after so many years, an escape from this living hell I'm trapped in.

"Please…" I said, catching both girls' attention. "I'll not resist. In fact, I want you to take me away from this place, one way or another."

"Wow… don't see her kind that often." Jyo said before her scythes turned into a black vapor that disappeared into thin air. "So, you're saying that you want to be abducted or killed?"

I nodded.

"It's decided then, I'm taking this sexy girl with me as a souvenir!" Jyo exclaimed with an cheerful smirk.

"Are you sure you're not a lesbian?" Sekai asked skeptically.

"I like to mess with people, but I honestly do prefer guys over girls." the black haired girl countered as her smirk faltered slightly. "I just like to take something with me whenever I visit somewhere new."

I sighed as Jyo was speaking like I was an object, but then again, that's what I basically am to my parents. But still, it doesn't sound like she was planning to use me to make money or anything.

"It's thanks to you that we wound up in this place all because you were hunting down that witch the familiar spawned from!" Sekai argued. "If you were not so damn stubborn, we would've been at Shotaro-sensei's place already and not the next town over!"

The rabbit leaped off of Jyo's head as the pair glared at each other while clenching their fists.

"Umm… Could we please stay calm here? We're in a public area with other people after all." I pointed out.

The pair looked over towards me as the plushy leaped onto my shoulder.

"I feel stupid for forgetting that…" Sekai groaned.

"Same here. Let's just take the girl and get out of here." Jyo said in agreement. "But first, we need to strip her."

"Either you are a lesbian or just flat out immoral…"

"Ninty-five-point-one percent immoral!" Jyo admitted proudly. " Two percent bloodlust, point nine percent boredom and the rest is split between mischief and perversion. "

"Wait, what?"

_~Welkin-Digamma(Chief)~_

Xi and I stood in the elevator as it descended towards the lower levels of the base. Within the Praedari's grasp was a grief seed.

"May I ask why you asked me to come along with this grief seed, Digamma?" my subordinate asked me.

I smirked a little while turning my head to look at Xi.

"It's a little pet project of mine." I replied. "I told you before that I only care for results, remember?"

"Of course, and you don't care about the methods." Xi recalled.

"Exactly, and I know that it has came across the minds of many Praedari why Welkin wants the grief seeds." I continued. "R&D has been doing research on utilizing them in some way. Mainly it's to implement them in battle in someway."

"I see. But is this relevant to the mentioned 'pet project' of yours?" the silver Praedari questioned

"In a way, yes. Welkin has mainly been focusing on developing weapons that harness grief seeds. I however, am taking a different approach. I plan to fight fire with fire."

"You plan on taming witches?" Xi asked me with a little skepticism.

"Not really, I have been working on hybridizing Praedari with witches." I replied. "They'd be ideal for Preadari because if its done right, then they can trap the Puella Magi within their labyrinths and move around, completely invisible to any and all Civilis."

The elevator stopped as I turned to face the door.

"I have been trying everything possible to make this happen, from grief seed ingestion to breeding attempts."

"B-Breeding attempts?" Xi said, his voice relaying his surprise.

"The witches are evolving…" I said solemnly. "They are becoming self-aware."

"What proof do you have of this?" the Praedari asked.

"I have Audio logs of my conversations with the one I have named Lamia. She is possibly as dangerous as the one we refer to as Harbinger, for different reasons altogether." I explained. "However, she is able to be reasoned with to a degree."

"This is the first time I've heard of this Harbinger." Xi pointed out.

"That is the one Puella Magi call Walpurgis Nacht." I said with a sigh. "Many of those supposed natural disasters are that one witch's doing. It's a threat that no Praedari can stand against, no matter how many of them they are. It's one of the strongest witches known to exist."

"What about this Lamia? What makes her as dangerous as Walpur- I mean the Harbinger?"

"Its because of her abilities. Like the Harbinger, she is able to move outside of labyrinths. However, she stands at about the size of a human, though the length of her tail makes her six times as long as humans are tall. Lamia is intelligent, but yet is driven by this desire to reproduce through any means possible. The primary method is reminiscent to vampirism, as she bites witches to transform them into something similar to herself. However, the success rate is very low, as the bite usually kills the witch."

Xi listened to me intently as the elevator chimed and the doors opened, as well as a secondary reinforced steel security door.

"Anyway, Xi, welcome to Research and Development."

_~Praedari Mu~_

I grumbled as Jyo and I ran through the hallways while the magical girl carried her panty clad "souvenir" over her shoulder. The idol's long violet hair swayed with each step as her lavender eyes focused upon her abductor and myself. Ever since we left, the Civilis had remained completely silent, nor resisted at all when she was stripped. Running beside the murderer was the tamed familiar, which Jyo named Sister El Ripper Von O'Fuzzy McFangson the Fifth, Ph D, or Ripper-chan for short.

I raised a hand up to press the button to activate the radio.

"Nu, We're coming back, but I should warn you, we have a familiar and a Civilis with us." I announced.

"Umm, is the familiar the s-same as the other one?" my sister asked out of fear.

"It is, but it won't attack." I confirmed before hearing Usagi squeak in fear before falling silent.

I looked to see both Jyo and the familiar stop immediately as they stared forward. I stopped and turned around to face the psycho.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"The witch's wards are really close." the magical girl said as an eager smirk formed on her face.

"Really?!" I said in disbelief.

Jyo nodded before she turned to gently set the idol down onto the ground.

"What are you doing?" the purple haired girl asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

"I don't want my new toy to be damaged if I can avoid it." Jyo explained bluntly, causing the idol to blush deeply. "Sekai, I may need your barriers, so we can have your sister keep an eye on her."

"Fine." I said reluctantly. I didn't like having to take orders from a murderer, but her reasoning made sense. Usagi doesn't have any combat knives, so she can't be of any use in the fight right now, plus there's the chance that the witch was a rabbit itself, based off of the familiars we've been encountering the past two days.

As Jyo and I began prepping for the upcoming fight, I saw Usagi come into view, with her helmet off.

"Found you at last, Sekai-nee." she said while running towards me.

"Put your helmet on, we're close to the wards of a witch's labyrinth." I warned her.

My twin's eyes widened before she complied. Once the helmet was on, she screamed upon seeing Jyo's pet. Mentally sighing, I placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Don't worry, that familiar is under Jyo's control." I reassured her.

The psycho summoned her scythe before resting it on her shoulder. " It's true, Sister El Ripper Von O'Fuzzy McFangson the Fifth is under my complete control, as long as that ribbon remains on her."

Usagi looked at Jyo in silence. Even though her face was hidden, it was obvious for me that she was confused by what she just heard.

"That's the name she's given the familiar." I clarified. "She also calls it 'Ripper-chan' for short."

Usagi's head nodded nervously before looking down at the rabbit that hopped over towards her.

"Ripper-chan will stay to help you, Usagi." Jyo said as she gave my sister a sadistic smirk. "So please get along with her."

An audible gulp was heard from my twin as she nodded again.

"Don't worry, I won't be gone for long." I said in a reassuring tone. "Besides, it's too dangerous for you right now, since your knives are broken."

"Alright, be careful, Sekai-nee." Usagi said before giving me a quick hug, which I returned.

"I'll come back, and then we can finally go see Shotaro-sensei." I promised before pulling myself away from my sister.

"Okay, enough family bonding, it's time to hunt a witch!" Jyo said eagerly before walking towards the end of the hallway before slashing her scythe, creating a gash in the air that revealed what looked like a plush city inside.

I heard the idol gasp as she saw the Labyrinth inside.

"That was the exact same place I was in the other day!" she pointed out, catching everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" I asked, wanting an answer.

"We don't have time for that now." Jyo blurted before climbing through the rift. "C'mon!"

I groaned before following the magical girl into the entrance to the labyrinth.

**_~Witch-Lamia~_**

When I entered these wards to see if the witch had the potential, I didn't expect to run right into enemies.

I hissed while charging forward towards the Praedari that stood before me. He dodged to my left before hitting me in the face with a jab. I grimaced before looking into where my opponent's face was.

"Damn you…" I cursed before throwing a punch of my own, hitting him in the gut.

My opponent grunted as he lurched forward from the force I exerted.

"I am not letting a damn human get the best of me." I declared before wrapping my tail around the man's waist and flung him as hard as I could into one of the plush buildings.

However, he twisted his body and landed feet first against the wall, sinking into the building. He clenched his fists just as he was catapulted back towards me. I prepared to move before I saw something that caught me off guard. His armband began glowing as his fists erupted into flames while coming towards me. He capitalized me being stunned by shock, driving both of his burning fists into my chest. The air was forced out of my lungs as the force of his attack sent me flying into the air.

"JERI!" he cried out.

Before I could counterattack, I was stunned while feeling a kick to the back of my head, sending me the other way. In a flash of light, I felt another kick, this time from below me, causing me to fly straight up into the air. I saw another flash, followed by another kick, sending me in a different direction. This process repeated, various kicks sending me flying in various directions that disorientated me. The flashes began to appear more frequent, the individual attacks becoming a barrage of blows that kept me up in the air and amplified the damage I was receiving. I couldn't keep count as to how many strikes I received.

"YOUR TURN TENKI!" I heard an excited voice belonging to a girl from above me. Before I could look up to see who it was, I felt some kind of blade cutting into my back before two feet stomped down on me, forcing me to plummet to the ground. Just before I hit the ground, a flaming uppercut connected with my face, sending me flying once more. I tried to recover, but was met with a volley of fireballs that set me ablaze once they made contact. Screaming in pain, I crashed to the ground, squirming violently as my body screamed in excruciating pain as the inferno burned my flesh as its fuel.

I soon began to relax as a grin formed on my face amongst the flames.

_~Welkin-Digamma~_

"What exactly makes Lamia so dangerous?" Xi asked me.

"Lamia is stronger compared to a regular human, but she is much weaker physically compared to other witches. What makes her so dangerous is her combat abilities." I explained with a frown. "First off, she is able to summon these ribbons that can restrain anything and anyone. Her recovery is on absurd levels, enough that make her quasi-immortal. It's theorized that the only way to truly kill her is to obliterate her entire body completely and fast, otherwise, she'll recover from just about any physical wounds inflicted upon her."

**_~Witch-Lamia~_**

The pain faded away while I began to break out into laughter.

"Was that the best you can do?" I asked while rising up. Through the flames, I was able to see a magical girl appear next to the Praedari.

"Heh, I'm starting to finally enjoy myself." I addressed my opponent. "It's been a long while since I fought with Praedari that aren't gun-reliant."

"You know about the Praedari?" the man asked me.

"I know of them." I answered before slamming my tail to the ground, causing the flames to disappear instantly from my entire body. "I fought with some, and conversed with others civilly."

"What are you trying to say?" the Praedari pressed.

"We can arrange a temporary truce, get to know each other better." I said in a suggestive manner.

"Not happening." the Praedari said bluntly.

"Is it because of how I look right now? Hang on." I replied before bringing a hand up to my face.

I dug my fingers into my forehead while closing my eyes, starting to peel off the charred skin with out any difficulty. The skin came off like I was removing a loose article of clothing, my pristine flesh appearing from my charred shedding. I slithered out of the old skin, presenting my now nude body to the Praedari while running my hands through my new hair.

"What about now?" I asked.

The Praedari only shook his head.

"Sorry, but I'm into girls." He said.

My eye twitched as I realized what he was implying.

"The only people who would flat out refuse an invitation like that from a naked girl are either into two dimensional girls or gay." I admitted with a frown. "And I'm guessing the latter applies to you, Praedari."

"That's right, but I'll take up your offer in his place." I heard the female voice said from behind me.

I gasped when I felt a pair of arms come through my chest like a ghost through a wall before the hands began groping my breasts.

What the hell?!

_~Puella Magi- Cutter Jyo~_

I screamed as I swung my scythe, launching a crescent of magic into the approaching swarm of familiars. A good number of them were sliced in half while a few leaped into the air to evade the attack. Those were cut down by Sekai through some invisible object that I couldn't see.

We were deep within the labyrinth, surrounded by a swarm of familiars.

"Tell me again exactly what you can do with that armband?" I asked.

"I can create barriers at will. However, it's more versatile than you think." She replied.

I looked up and saw some black ooze run down what appeared to be some kind of blade that I couldn't see.

"Stand still for a second." she warned before she held both her arms above her head.

I complied as her armband began glowing. The remaining familiars charged in, their mouths opening with the intention to devour us. Without hesitating, the Praedari began spinning in place while bringing her arms down. I admit, it looked stupid, but the results says otherwise. The familiars were quickly turned into unrecognizable pieces or gore and black ooze, splattering in every direction around us. Only one of rabbit plushies remained, looking at us with what had to have been fear. It turned and fled once the gory rain stopped, squealing loudly in terror.

"Can I move now?" I asked.

I saw Sekai nod in confirmation before she took off after the familiar. I followed suit, eager to pursue

However, I stopped when a winged shadow flew overhead.

"We got company!" I cried out while looking upwards as black snow floated down around me.

_~Civilis-Nobunaga Himari~_

"I guess I should introduce myself, I am Praedari Nu, Suzuhara Usagi. The person who was dressed like me was my twin sister, Suzuhara Sekai, aka Praedari Mu." the girl introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you." I said. "I doubt I need to introduce myself."

"You're Nobunaga Himari, or simply 'Himari!' in public. Your current song, Bonding Rondo, is very popular in all of Japan right now." Usagi recited enthusiastically. "The pleasure is all mine."

"True, but I'd do anything to be rid of that life." I said while looking down at the rabbit.

Usagi looked down and squeaked in fear upon seeing the plushy before looking away.

"What's the story with you and rabbits exactly?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I…I'd rather not talk about it." the girl said timidly.

"It can't be that bad." I questioned. "Did it try to kill you or something?"

"That is close to the truth." she said, her voice becoming cold yet firm. "I was bitten by one infected by rabies…and almost died from the virus too."

I fell silent briefly. Rabies was the last thing I expected to hear, but was probably the most likely outcome.

"How did you survive?" I pressed, wanting to know more now.

"It was a magical girl, who cured me with her magic." the girl in black said before looking up at the ceiling. "I was at a terminal stage by then, and neither Sekai-nee or Alpha-sensei could help me once I began frothing. It was the magical girl that was with Alpha-sensei that saved my life."

"I see. Well, at least you are alive. That's all that matters." I said, deciding to drop the subject right there.

As if on cue, I heard shouting coming from our right followed by gunfire. The sounds of footsteps grew loudly as we saw a shadow appearing at the end of the hall. The shadow began to shrink down and became recognizable as a pair of humanoid shapes.

"DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!" I heard a familiar voice scream out.

"Suzuhara-san, we have to move right now!" I cried out while scrambling to my feet.

"Why?" Usagi asked out of curiosity.

"It's security and my father!" I said before grabbing her by the arm and pulled her up from the ground. "They're coming for me!"

"But why did we hear gunshots?" my companion asked.

"Don't care, Let's get going!" I cried in a panic before looking over towards the spot that Jyo and Sekai went into. The entrance was closed, and I recalled that if we went to the left, we would hit a dead end.

We were trapped like rats. My chance of escaping my hell was going to be taken from me. "Shitshitshit!"

It was then that I felt a blast of cold air that made me shiver involuntarily, snapping out of my panic. As I held myself, I saw two figures come into view as a few bullets embedded themselves into the nearby wall.

"Magical girls." I heard Usagi say. I took a closer look and noticed that they were dressed like they were described.

The petite, flat chested one had silver hair, held up in a ponytail that reached her waist and eyes to complement the outfit she was wearing. Her outfit was a snow white sleeveless top that left her midriff exposed with a matching pleated skirt that reached the knees. Her arms donned loose detached sleeves that went from the elbows and draped over the hands, obscuring them entirely. Around her neck was a gold necklace with a white gemstone. However, the most defining feature of this elegant looking girl was the white ice skates she was wearing. She wasn't running, rather skating across the ground on the ice that formed underneath her feet.

Beside her was a taller girl that looked older and had a rack that was larger than my own. She had burgundy hair that was also held up in a ponytail. I couldn't see her eyes as they were veiled underneath a scarlet reflective visor that covered her eyes and nose, leaving only her forehead and mouth exposed. Protruding from each sides of her visor where what looked like a pair of small red tubes. Her outfit was far more provocative, and complex compared to the white girl's simpler attire.

The cherry red outfit reminded me of a race queen outfit based on how it looked. The top had a silver zipper in the front with a checkered flag patter on the sides. The size of the glossy sleeveless red top was quite form fitting, making it appear that her large breasts would come out at any moment. Her also glossy miniskirt also had the same color and checkered pattern on the sides of her waist while lacking a zipper. However, the rest of her outfit was more unusual.

Her arms had red "gauntlets" that went up to her shoulders, with silver tubes protruding upwards from the wrists and three upwards from the shoulders, giving an allusion to wings. As I looked closer, I noticed that they were actually slightly larger and bulkier in proportion to her body.

Her feet were encased in red metal from the knees down with three tubes protruding from the sides of where her shins would be. What made them so peculiar was the black wheels that were where her feet would be.

"Anzu, the barrier!" the white magical girl cried out.

"Got it, Akiza." the red one said in acknowledgement. All of the tubes roared as blue flames erupted from them as the wheels began spinning faster.

"NITRO KNUCKLER!" the girl cried out in English.

The one called Anzu rocketed past Usagi and myself at such speeds that she was only a red blur to us before we heard what sounded like glass shattering as the magical girl broke through into the plush city.

Akiza skated as fast as she could, leaping through the gaping hole her friend made. Realizing that this was my chance, I pulled Usagi along as I ran towards the hole. I would rather die than go back to that life I hate so much.

"Ripper-chan, come on!" I cried out to the rabbit, who squeaked in response before following us.

I jumped through the barrier first, dragging the protesting girl in after me with the rabbit behind us. I turned around to see the hole repairing itself before it closed up completely, sealing us inside the bizarre city that I was trapped in once before.

I looked around and saw the two magical girls standing in front of a gigantic pool of black ooze that was splattered all over the place.

"It looks like someone beaten us here first." I heard Akiza say.

"Think maybe we can work with her?" Anzu asked.

"I hope so." the petite magical girl said hopefully.

Maybe I can ask them what this place is exactly.

"Excuse me." I said, getting both magical girl's attention.

"What are you doing here?!" Akiza said in shock. "This place is dangerous!"

"I know, I was in here before." I stated with a frown.

Everyone looked at me in disbelief.

"Y-Y-You're a magical girl too?!" the red magical girl said incredulously. "And what's up with your outfit?"

I shook my head while stepping towards the pair despite my face blushing. I completely forgot about my state of undress until now due to everything that was going on.

"No, just a regular girl." I replied before Ripper-chan leaped onto my shoulder. "and I am only this way because my kidnapper stripped me beforehand.

"Familiar!" Akiza said in before she held out her hand as the temperature around me began to rapidly drop.

"Don't hurt Ripper-chan." I warned the magical girl. "She's not dangerous."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Anzu questioned. "That thing will eat you!"

"Has it yet?" I countered before raising a hand up to scratch the rabbit underneath its chin.

"NO!" the red magical girl cried out before Usagi stepped in between us.

"Sorry, but that f-familiar belongs to someone really dangerous." she warned them. "She could be more dangerous than a witch."

Anzu rolled over with her hands clenched into fists.

"Who could be more dangerous than a witch?" she asked.

"A magical girl named Cutter Jyo." Usagi replied without any hesitation.

The red magical girl looked at the girl in black skeptically.

"Are you saying that monster belongs to a serial killer?" Akiza asked as she looked over towards me.

"That's right." I said in confirmation.

"We got one question." Anzu asked.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

The white magical girl stepped forward while looking at me with a stoic face.

"I want you to join my cause." she said bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Usagi questioned.

"We are looking to stop Kyubey's plans in any way possible. Too many people are dying because of it." Akiza explained. "Many magical girls rather fend for themselves, letting the incubators do whatever they want."

Usagi fell silent as the white magical girl talked.

"We heard of these people called Praedari, and were hoping to enlist their help." Anzu added.

Usagi took that moment to speak up.

"I'm sorry, but that isn't really possible. Praedari kill magical girls because they are seen as a threat to humanity." she said solemnly.

"Wait… Are you one of those Praedari?" the red magical girl asked in confusion. "I thought you were some kind of super security guard."

"I am Praedari Nu. Officially, I am suppose to kill you and any witnesses." the girl explained before reaching for her helmet. "However, I don't want to do that if I can avoid it. You both seem reasonable, so I hope we can talk things out instead of violence."

"Glad the first Praedari we meet is a reasonable one." Akiza said while Anzu sighed in relief.

"There aren't many who see magical girls as humans." Usagi said with a frown. "Most would kill you without a second thought, or worse, torture you for their own sick pleasure."

"I see we're lucky in meeting you." The red magical girl said before going over towards the black ooze that. She cautiously put the tip of her index finger, only to pull it back when the gauntlet began to emit smoke. "Shit, acid."

"How can we get across?" Usagi asked.

"Simple, I create a bridge for us to cross." the white magical girl replied confidently.

"Akiza is able to create ice in any shape she wishes." the red explained quickly before her gauntlets dispersed in a flash of scarlet light, revealing a pair of red gloves that reached to her shoulders with two checkered bands around her wrists. On the back of her right hand was a circular gem that was a dark red within a silver "X".

Her "boots" followed suit, revealing a pair of glossy red boots that stopped mid-shin, with checkered bands on the sides, following the design of her outfit. Her visor disappeared, revealing a pair of light green eyes underneath.

"Hey, I just realized something." I heard Usagi say while poking at my shoulder. "You've been taking all of this really calmly."

"I guess I'm able to keep calm." I replied, frowning a little.

Now that she mentioned it, I have been unfazed by all that has been going on regarding magical girls. Maybe I'm in shock, but I just haven't really noticed it just yet.

I came out of my train of thought when I heard a loud screeching sound from above.

_~Welkin-Digamma~_

Xi looked in every direction as we walked past the many windows of the experimental labs, each with a different prototype of some kind inside. I kept looking forward, having seen them many times already. I was focused on the pair of reinforced steel doors that was our destination.

"Xi, I am going to tell you a secret about these armbands that Welkin has been keeping quiet for decades." I said, causing the silver Praedari to focus on me.

"There's a secret?" he asked.

" They assimilate the magic of magical girls who are slain by the Praedari who kill them." I explained with a smirk. "All of the armbands have this passive ability that activates without Praedari noticing."

"Is there a drawback or limit of some kind?" Xi questioned.

"There hasn't been any reported incidents of anything negative in performance." I replied while smirking. "What does happen is very interesting."

Xi tilted his head down so that he could look at his armband.

"We call the effect Exalt." I heard a female voice say from behind us.. "I know how it is because each member of the Eligere have went through Exalt."

"I didn't expect you to be here, Sampi." I said in a respectful manner while stopping in place.

Looking over my shoulder, I looked at a woman who was wearing a red Praedari uniform that was sleeveless while not wearing a helmet or armband. Her blonde hair reached her shoulders and sapphire blue eyes were focused directly at me.

"I came here because you requested my assistance, Digamma." The lovely Eligere said while frowning. "What is so important that you had me come from my post in America?"

"It will be worth your while, my comrade." I said, switching to English. "I understand you were looking for specific armband abilities, correct?"

"Yes, and I recall reading that two of the Asian Praedari have them." Sampi stated before crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Ah, those two." I said. "It's a coincidence that the holders of each are Alpha and Omega."

"I agree, I recall that Omega loves the thrill of battle, while Alpha prefers avoiding it if possible." Sampi said with a smirk. "To think Alpha has Enslave."

"I admit, when I first learned that Enslave was assigned to Alpha, I was surprised. Enslave is possibly one of the strongest non combative armbands." I admitted with a chuckle. "Omega's Arsenal is perhaps the opposite, being the strongest for offense if used correctly. Not many can carry an entire armory to be used at their command."

"What do you plan to do with him?" Sampi interjected while pointing to Xi.

"He is one of the candidates as the next Digamma." I replied. "however, Xi is the only one that is aware of this at this time."

"Still, why is he here?" my fellow Eligere pressed while frowning.

"Xi is going to learn about the details about that project that I've been working on for so long." I replied. "And I need a fellow Eligere to be a witness when I present this to the Triumvirate. Besides, I also want to discuss your own agenda, Sampi."

"What about it?" she asked.

"I agree with you, the Harbinger is the strongest threat amongst witches."

"What are you scheming this time?" Sampi questioned, suspicious of my intentions.

"You'll see soon enough." I said before walking over towards the steel doors.

_~Puella Magi - Kyoko~_

I bit into my pocky as I walked through the streets, ignoring the many stares coming from the countless adults. My mind was focused on the conversation I had with that person. From what I was told, what happened was obviously the result of a magical girl's wish, who had to have been that person's little sister.

I was able to sympathize with what happened a little, though I decided to keep the existence of magical girls a secret. The stranger asked to meet with me two weeks from now at the church again, and worst of all, left before I could make any response.

It's already a headache to begin with being a magical girl. There were others running through my territory, and then there's those perverted rumors of men in black in the unclaimed spot who enslaves magical girls they like, though one of them is said to release the ones he isn't into. I came back to my senses when I collided with something, knocking me down to my ass.

"Sorry, are you okay?" a boy asked me.

I looked up and saw that the boy was an older teen with ruby red eyes and black hair. He was wearing a simple gray tank top and black pants. The only unusual thing that he wore was the blue armband.

"I'm fine." I replied while rising to my feet.

"That's good to hear. Anyway, why is someone your age out at this time of night?" he asked.

I ignored his question, walking past him instead. Without warning, I felt him grab his hand, causing me to blush slightly.

"I came out to this town because I couldn't get any sleep back home because a roommate of mine was playing her music loud." he said without looking. "Would you like to have a melon soda with me and chat?"

"I'm not some ditz you can have your way with." I replied in a threatening manner. It was when I felt his fingers run over the ring that was my soul gem.

"I wasn't trying to do that. I just want to talk about something that someone like you would know about." he said in a whisper. "It is regarding magical girls."

"You need to see a shrink." I said, trying to act like I had no idea what he was talking about.

"I live with three girls who contracted with Kyubey, so don't play dumb. Besides, I can tell you're one yourself because of that ring and middle fingernail."

I narrowed my eyes while becoming rigid. I could tell that this guy was serious, and the way he spoke implied he wasn't after a fight.

"What do you want from me?" I asked wearily.

"I only want to talk." the man said while letting go of my hand. "I didn't expect to bump into someone like you here. Since we've bumped into each other, there is something that I want to ask you. I can treat you to something for your troubles."

_~Welkin-Digamma~_

I leaned into the retina scanner while putting both hands on another one for fingerprints. The many locks began to come apart, allowing the doors to open slowly.

"I have a theory of how to further enhance Praedari." I explained. " Through many trials, I learned that the armbands actually resonate with grief seeds from witches born of Puella Magi. I tried this with my old armband, and the result is it undergoing an evolution of ability. It evolved from Ensnare to its current power, Enslave."

"I thought the ability of the armband is unique to its user." Xi interjected.

"That is indeed true, however, Enslave is capable of being passed on." I commented. "I can use its nature to have it 'enslave' a new owner."

"A inheritable ability is quite interesting, but how do grief seeds fit in all this?" Sampi questioned.

"My dear comrade, allow me to enlighten you." I said before frowning. "Despair brings evolution."

"What?"

"The armband ability can evolve if you use the grief seed of a turned Puella Magi that you were very close with. Family, lovers, or even your best friend. It doesn't matter, but you must drive them into despair to become a witch, and then sacrifice them to obtain the necessary grief seed. The armbands thrive on the despair of both the sacrifice and the one who sacrifices."

Sampi stared at me in disbelief.

"You…You associated yourself with a magical girl!?" she cried out.

"Yes, she was my sister." I answered solemnly. "I still hate myself to this very day about that, but it was for the sake of humanity's survival. I take cold comfort in that fact alone."

"But I heard you say that those three known cases are the first of their kind." Xi pointed out.

"And they are the first officially documented cases. However, I kept my dealings a secret."

"Wait… is it by any chance that your sister was…" Sampi said before trailing off, not sure how to finish it.

"Yes, she was the Puella Magi who revealed the existence of her kind to the government." I confirmed with a single nod.

"Enough talking about your past, Digamma, what is inside the doors?" Sampi demanded.

"The Arsenal. Where we keep every armband that isn't used by a Praedari." I stated before turning to my subordinate. "Xi, I have an important mission for you."

"What is it, sir?" the Praedari asked.

"I want you to become Alpha's lover." I replied.

"What am I exactly?!" Xi cried out in disbelief.

"Don't play dumb." I said sternly.

"Very well, sir." the silver Praedari said in defeat. "Anything else?"

"There is two other things. As for the first…" I said before a smile appeared on my face during my pause. "Let's form a band."

Sampi gawked at me while Xi fell silent.

"As for the second, secure the Harbinger." I continued while crossing my arms. "We must protect Walpurgis Nacht at all costs."

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Sampi screamed in shock. "WHY DO YOU WANT THAT MONSTROSITY?!"

"Because it's a gestalt of multiple witches, that means multiple grief seeds for everyone." I explained. "What is wrong with sharing?"

Sampi was dumbstruck once again as my smirk only grew.

_~Puella Magi-Akemi Homura ~_

I panted heavily as I ran through the abandoned warehouse, passed the yakuza guards that were frozen in place. This timeline has too many inconsistencies… it's almost like I was in a different world all together… The most dangerous thing at this time was the anomalous pursuer that was chasing me right now.

This isn't possible… Only I could move when time's frozen. Then, how could this witch-

My thoughts were cut off as I felt a barrage of black feathers pierce into my back. I grimaced in pain, stopping in place to look towards my enemy.

The witch had a crow like body, but its head was like that of a manikin's with a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. It spoke to me in a language that was impossible to understand, with strands of runes weaving out of its mouth whenever it spoke.

Time was frozen because of my magic, yet this witch was able to move like nothing's happened.

This world is the most dangerous and alien to me in many ways.

What triggered such tremendous divergences?

* * *

"I AM NOTHING LIKE THAT SLUT!"

"I love being a Praedari, it's way more exciting than it was when I was in the yakuza."

"You have anywhere to sleep?"

"Is this town some kind of magical girl magnet?"

"Grant my wish, you little bastard!"

"Omega…"

"We need to work together, everyone."

"Okay…I never knew that could happen to someone."

"I used to be with the police, but I'm now with Welkin as Praedari Rho. "

"An idol, two psychos, Gravure twins, a gay boxer, a mercenary, a bunch of unfamiliar magical girls, a living plushy, you and myself against the snake bitch that just won't die, overprotective dragon-girl, and rampaging plushy… I can work with that."

"Care to join us? I think I can hook you up with an apartment."

"That is the true power of that armband."

We are starting to fight against our fates. We who wish to end the cycle. We who help those plagued by the curses born from it. We who seek solace from our despair. We who crave battle. We who enjoy slaughter. No matter what drives us, we all refuse to accept the fate that awaits us all. And some will do anything to prevent it.

" Praedari are ensnared in their own cycle of despair. One that is becoming intertwined with the one you're trapped in, Akemi-san."

"I will accept my despair if it means protecting them from you, Incubator."

_Next time: Defying the Cycle_

* * *

Man, I have to admit, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Hopefully you guys did as well.

I know that Anzu doesn't appear to be a magical girl when equipped with her gear, but I assure you, she is one, and her unique look will be explained in the story. Also, I understand that Lamia may look overpowered by being able to shrug off physical harm like it was nothing, but she isn't immortal. Next chapter will reveal a weakness of hers.

As of this chapter, Rho and Omega have been claimed, but I have a little announcement. Three of the remaining slots for Praedari will have some kind of surprise for them. I'll let you know if you chose one of the three. additional perk if any are female Praedari.

I am now also going to accept OC's that are intended to be Eligere. For them, submit them with the Praedari outline, but instead of Praedari Call Name, Replace it with "**Eligere Title**:" Like the Praedari, Eligere use latin letters, but in this case, ones that are defunct. Also, remember that the Eligere are stationed all over the world, each at these branches of Welkin and their own you want to have your OC as an Eligere, pick an unclaimed branch that isn't Japan or North America and make sure your OC is of a nationality associated with the region they are in charge of. Mixed nationality is allowed.

North America - HQ in America - led by Sampi

South America - HQ in Brazil

Africa - HQ in South Africa

Asia - HQ in China

Europe - HQ in Germany

Oceania & Australia - HQ in Australia

Japan - HQ location withheld to avoid spoilers- led by Digamma

Russia - HQ in Moscow.

I also got something to say regarding the armband abilities. The submitted abilities that I have so far can all be upgraded in some way. However, the upgrade comes at a heavy price of killing a magical girl that the Praedari has a deep, personal connection with. Basically, if your OC is incapable of feeling emotion, then the upgrade is impossible. For those who submitted Praedari OC's, or plan to submit one, and you want this upgrade to happen, I ask you to carefully consider if your character can handle the despair and trauma that will come with killing someone dear to them with their own two hands solely to get stronger.

Oh, and this is specifically for the anon reviewer, Cyborg. Is there any other call signs you want your Praedari OCs to go by instead of Nu and Sigma?

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all next time.


	5. Defying the Cycle

**OC Disclaimer : The following OC's who debut this chapter don't belong to me.**

**Praedari Rho belongs to Persival**

**Praedari Omega belongs to reven228**

**Note: Due to the length of this chapter, I have left a little checkpoint of sorts in the middle of it for readers on PC's that can be used to pick up where they left off if they want to take a break. To utilize it, press "Control" and "F" together and type in ~Checkpoint~ . Now, enjoy the story.**

* * *

**~Praedari- Xi~**

The reinforced doors closed once I left the Armory. I looked down at the grief seed that Digamma entrusted me with. Before dismissing me, he told the reason why I needed it. I was to test out a new weapon that would draw from the energy that was dormant within it. I placed the grief seed into a pouch before pressing the button to allow my helmet to be removed.

Once the helmet was off, I shook my head, allowing my long black hair to fall down. My ruby red eyes focused upon the reflection of one of the windows, allowing me to look at myself. I then removed my gauntlets before moving my hand up to a choker with a silver speaker in the front of my throat. I removed the voice modifier and sighed in my normal, female voice.

"What is Digamma thinking?" I asked myself out loud. "How can I seduce Alpha?"

**~Praedari Alpha~**

I smirked as the redheaded Kyouko devoured the strawberry cheesecake gleefully. It was obvious by her enjoyment that she didn't have that kind of sweet that much. I waited until she swallowed before I spoke up. The two of us were inside a restaurant that was open all the time.

"Glad to see you're enjoying that, Sakura-san. I told you that it was good." I told her.

Kyoko turned her attention towards me with a frown.

"I'm grateful you're paying for this, but what is it that you wanted to ask me specifically?" she asked.

I closed my eyes for a moment to let out a sigh before opening them.

"Lately there's been a lot of magical girls appearing in the town I'm from." I started.

"That's because it's unclaimed by anyone." Kyouko interjected with a glare. "Heard rumors of these guys in black who hunt both witches and magical girls alike in that place."

"Guess word did spread after all…" I said before sighing once again.

"So you are involved with them." Kyouko said as her eyes narrowed while getting ready to bolt at any moment. "That explains how you know so many things about magical girls."

"Hang on! I'll explain everything!" I cried out. "I got no ulterior motive, I just want to talk!"

Kyouko sighed and relented before she relaxed a little.

"You better be telling the truth, otherwise I'm going to make you pay." she warned me.

I nodded before smiling a little in relief.

"Do you have any family?" I asked.

The redhead averted her gaze and fell silent for a moment.

"No…" she said softly while frowning.

I could tell that I shouldn't press on that subject any further by the hurt look the girl had on her face.

I cleared my throat to snap her out of her train of thought before continuing.

"Do you have some kind of guardian then?" I asked, causing Kyouko to look at me once more. "You must have them worried by being out this late."

"I'm on my own." she said bluntly before she looked back down at her half-eaten cheesecake .

I was starting to wonder if she was homeless.

"You have anywhere to sleep?" I pressed. "Surely you can't be homeless."

"I manage. I am a magical girl after all." Kyouko said nonchalantly while waving her hand like it wasn't anything serious.

"I see. Let me tell you something." I said while lowering my voice into a whisper. "The magical girls that I live with have nowhere else to call home. I took them in."

Kyouko had a serious look on her face while looking right into my eyes.

"You do know that there are so many witches. That means not enough grief seeds to share with everybody." she stated.

"I am very much aware of that." I admitted. "However, where I am from is basically a smorgasbord for magical girls. It can easily sustain up to ten more of them easily."

The redhead's eyes widened upon hearing that piece of information before narrowing in skepticism.

"That is too good to be true..." she said.

"Is this town some kind of magical girl magnet?" I countered.

"What do you mean exactly?" the redhead asked.

"I heard from other magical girls I've met that this town is housing four magical girls." I explained. "Though from comparing the numbers of unexplained disappearances and suicides of this town to mine, It's believed that there are only enough witches to sustain two magical girls comfortably, though it's able to handle three for a short period of time without diminishing the witch population. Surely you must have been having increased difficulty trying to find witches."

Kyouko looked at me incredulously.

"You can figure out that kind of stuff?" she asked.

I nodded with a growing smirk on my face.

"Sakura-san, there's more than enough room for you to come with me." I said. "In fact, if any of the other magical girls in this town are like yourself, they can come along too."

Kyouko fell silent as she processed what I just said. She crossed her arms while closing her eyes

"Is there any catch to this?" she asked while opening one of her eyes.

"Yeah, and it's one you wouldn't be too thrilled about." I said before sighing. "The organization that I work for is striving for the elimination of the threat that witches and magical girls possess to the public."

"Hold up, what do you mean by magical girls being a threat?" Kyouko asked.

"There have been cases where a magical girl used her magic to bring harm upon innocent people. I know most of you only look out for yourselves, but the worst thing that can happen is one of you being a serial killer that is able to escape the police with no difficulty at all. I know this because of this one magical girl from Canada who is exactly that."

Kyouko stared at me incredulously.

"Guess that thought never crossed your mind that someone could do something like that." I said. " I know how killers think. That's because I've worked with them for a long time."

The redhead looked at me, not sure if she was in danger or not. Now was the time for me to drive the point home to her.

"You see, if you're left unattended in an area that is under a Praedari's jurisdiction, they will hunt you down and kill you. This is where the trade off comes in. " I said before showing her my armband. "However, I can ensure your safety if you entrust your soul gem to me. You can still be able to use your magic freely, and it'll no longer be your weak spot as I'll be protecting it with this armband."

Kyouko now had a conflicted look on her face as she listened to me.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "What do you have to gain from this? Besides having my soul gem to keep me hostage?"

"You'll not be a damn hostage." I said while slamming my fist onto the table, startling the redhead. "Listen, I am trying to find a weak point in Kyubey's malicious system. Something that can be used to destroy or exploit it for humanity's gain."

The redhead frowned upon hearing that last part.

"What's the point?" she asked. "Doing something for another's sake only bites you in the ass."

"That's the goal. Kyubey has this system set up for exactly just that. It's his goal to bring every magical girl into despair." I stated.

"Why would he do that?" she asked.

It was my turn to fall silent. She had no clue about the dark truth about what the bastard was really after.

"So… how much do you know about soul gems and witches?" I asked.

"I know that the soul gem is the source of my magic and it was created from my wish being granted." Kyoko said. "As for witches, they hatch from grief seeds and can drop one as well. That and they eat humans."

I sighed before shaking my head.

"You're in the dark… Oblivious about where a lot of witches are coming from, and why the damned rock is a shackle." I said solemnly. "Not surprised that Kyubey kept it a secret from you."

"What are you talking about?" she asked me.

If I told her the truth, she could either accept the truth

"Before I tell you, I will warn you that this knowledge will only bring despair for you. This isn't going to be something easy for you to accept, and it will change how you view things. You might commit suicide if you can't handle any guilt that forms." I said.

Kyouko's face became firm, obviously prepared for what I had to say.

"One last thing Sakura-san. Please remember that I will take responsibility for what happens next. I won't judge you, and accept you for who you are." I said in a reassuring manner. "Are you willing to learn the truths that Kyubey kept secret from you?"

"Lay it on me, I've already went through hell already." Kyouko said without hesitation.

I smiled upon hearing the tone of her voice. She obviously has a strong will, one that will be able to handle all of this and not cave in. She wasn't afraid one bit.

I nodded in acknowledgement before I began to speak.

* * *

**Defying the Cycle**

* * *

**~The Civilis~**

Once again, I stood in the ruined city that was flooded with blood and corpses. The scenery was very similar like that last dream I had but what was happening was entirely different.

A boy that was around my age with red eyes and black hair stood in front a large group of many people dressed in those black uniforms. The boy was wearing the same kind of uniform but was white with a mantle that was held in place with a gold brooch with a black sphere that had some kind of black mist swirling around inside it. I noticed that he had the same blue armband as the one who spoke , but the black jewels were all shining brilliantly and of different colors.

Standing next to the boy were several people of his age or younger, but only two others were male. All were prepared for battle, all but one were carrying weapons.

From the crowd of black men came an old man with his arms behind his back.

"I must say, you've amassed quite the force there. To have effectively wiped out all the combined forces of Welkin's Eligere and their Praedari with only a small collection of Puella Magi and five traitors. Then again, you have perhaps the strongest Puella Magi to ever exist." the old man said with a smirk. "However, you've failed to keep us from capturing the Harbinger."

The boy clenched his fists while growling.

"Listen here, you old fart. You lied to me. You used us all as just tools, not once truly caring about our wellbeing. You left me for dead… but the thing I will never forgive you for is killing members of my… no… OUR family!" he yelled in complete fury, barely keeping his cool. "DAMN IT HOMURA! WHY DO YOU SIDE WITH THAT BASTARD?!"

A young girl with long black hair and a cold, expressionless face stepped from amongst the black men, standing right next to the old man.

"Because you're in the way of my goal." the girl said bluntly.

"I told you I can keep her safe for you!" the boy said. "We are concerned about you. Hell, Madoka is worried about you most of all!"

"You put her at risk." the girl that was called Homura said before holding up a handgun.

It was then that I noticed a familiar face step forward.

"So, you plan to kill us like you did with Sayaka?" Kyouko asked while she stepped to the boy's side with a spear resting on her shoulder with a piece of pocky in her mouth. " Or are you going to sacrifice us to that monster?"

"I will remove any and all threats…" the stoic girl said. "I do not care about the state of this world, so long as my objectives are met."

" We promised Madoka to rescue you from the Praedari… but I don't know if that promise can be kept now." Kyouko said solemnly.

Another girl came forward, this one dressed like a race queen with large mechanical gauntlets and wheeled boots, for lack of better words. Her eyes were hidden behind a visor.

"We are all fighting to break this cycle… Just like you have been!" she said. "That includes preventing Madoka from becoming a magical girl…"

Homura remained silent as she pointed the gun at the magical girl.

"By waging an impossible rebellion?" she asked.

"It's not impossible. Himari is proof of that!" the boy replied as he focused upon the young girl. "There is a way to end this… a way to erase all the pain and suffering everyone has went through. How many times have we talked like this, Homura? How many more times will you subjugate yourself to seeing the same people die over and over again?"

"As many times as necessary…" Homura replied before pulling the trigger, shooting the race queen right through her head. She immediately crumpled to the ground, dead before her face went into the bloody water.

"ANZU!" Kyouko cried out in shock before turning her attention towards Homura. Tears began forming in her eyes as the jewel on her chest slowly began to turn black.

"Damn you Homura…" she cursed as the tears ran down her face. "First Sayaka, then Mami-sempai and now her! Do you enjoy ruining any hope I have for happiness?!"

The boy wrapped her arms around the redhead to comfort her. The redhead immediately turned around and buried her face into his chest while hugging him. The boy then gently pushed Kyouko back so that he could look at her in the face.

"I'm still here…" the boy said before he was interrupted by another gunshot.

Kyoko's face was revealed to be frozen in horrified shock as the boy fell to the ground face first near her feet, her face covered in his splattered blood.

"SHOTARO!" several girls cried out in disbelief before the rest of Kyouko's group charged forward, thirsting for the enemy's blood. The redhead only slumped to her knees, her eyes empty and lifeless while her face showing her distraught as her spear fell out of her grasp, disappearing into the scarlet liquid. She slowly looked over at the boy's corpse. She crawled over towards it desperately. She then turned it over and wrapped her arms around the neck.

Amongst the fighting, I watched Homura slowly walk over towards the traumatized Kyouko as she held onto the boy's corpse.

"I'm sorry, but he had to be eliminated…" she said in a cold tone before pointing the gun at Kyouko's head. "Do you wish to join him in the afterlife, Kyouko?"

"…Yes…" the redhead said in a defeated manner. She didn't look up, her attention solely focused upon the corpse's face. She carefully set the head down and laid next to him, wrapping her arms around him. She closed her eyes and remained perfectly still.

Without another word, or hesitation, Homura killed Kyouko in the same manner as she did with the boy that the redhead was resting beside. Soon after that, the expressionless girl just vanished into thin air instantly. I walked over towards the two corpses, one was a boy and the other was of a girl that willingly be murdered, only to reunite with him once again…

How close were they? Were they lovers? Was he some kind of brother figure that Kyoko held dear? I would never know. Looking up from the corpses, I watched many of both sides die at each other's hands.

Why were they killing each other? Was this some kind of war?

"So…we finally meet…" I heard a voice said from behind me.

I twisted around and my eyes widened upon the sight before me.

It was a girl wearing a black robe that was unfamiliar to me with the hood raised, preventing me from seeing her face.

"Listen, what you have been witnessing in these dreams are events that are both the past and future." the stranger explained.

"Past and future?" I asked in confusion.

"I don't have time to explain that." the cloaked figure grabbed me by my shoulders with a serious look on her face. "Listen. You must force Homura to leave this time, stop your sister and thwart Welkin's plans, or else this insidious play will keep repeating."

"My sister? Welkin? What are you talking about?!" I asked.

"Dive deeper into the cycle of despair, but do not get close to anyone, especially Kyouko. It's the only way to succeed."

_**~Witch - Lamia~**_

The arms that groped me retreated back into my chest, though I felt nothing moving through my body. I swung my tail, connecting with something physical. Without looking, I quickly coiled my tail around it and lifted it into the air before slamming it as hard as possible into the ground.

"I never understand why you enjoy getting hurt so much…" The Praedari said with a sigh before he charged forward.

I felt whatever I had coil disappear from my grasp, but I didn't have time to focus on that. I immediately swung my tail full force and it connected with the boy, grinning when I heard the telltale sounds of bones breaking. The Praedari screamed in pain as he was sent flying. I went after him, keeping up my rising pressure. Just as he collapsed to the ground, I once again swung my tail, this time in a downward motion to his knees.

"This is what you get for underestimating me, Praedari!" I cried out.

However, part of my tail was sent flying as a blade from above severing it.

"Sorry, but I can't let you hurt Tenki any more." the female voice from earlier said.

I hissed in pain while looking at the bloody stump of where a good fourth of my tail was now missing. I looked around, trying to find any trace of my attacker.

I chuckled as I realized what she was doing. The way this magical girl making her presence known, yet was keeping herself hidden from view. She was trying to rile me up.

"I am going to stop here" I announced. I looked at the Praedari and shook my head. "I have other matters to attend to than to deal with you."

I saw the magical girl appearing before me in a flash of light.

She had her straight auburn hair in a ponytail that reached her shoulders. Her large green eyes were focused entirely upon me. She had pale skin with freckles, and I could tell that she obviously was not of this nation.

She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with a pink heart shaped breastplate over it. She also had a pink skirt that was very short in length, with matching stockings that come just high enough that a little skin was exposed from below the skirt. Upon a closer look, I noticed that her pink soul gem was located in the center of her breast plate. As for her breasts themselves, If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's a C cup…

I found the girl to be innocent, even naive looking, except for her weapon. For lack of better words, it was a big ass meat cleaver… Emphasis on big there, as the blade alone was easily as long as she was tall.

"Tenki! You said this witch would fight us until either of us were dead!" the foreign girl cried out in disappointment. She tossed the weapon to the side as she approached me.

I watched the magical girl walk over towards the Praedari before she grabbed him by the front of his uniform and lifted him up completely off the ground with no difficulty with just one hand.

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW! I HAVE BROKEN RIBS HERE, BITCH!" the Praedari cried out in agony.

The girl frowned and gently set the man on his feet.

As I examined the magical girl, I felt that urge forming in the back of my mind. I involuntarily licked my lips as a smirk on my face as I recalled the girl's reply to the offer I made to the Praedari. Could she be willing to carry my eggs?

**_~Puella Magi- Cutter Jyo~_**

Sekai stopped in place to look up when the figure's shadow flew over her head. The ebony snow began to fall even more as I focused my gaze upon the source of the shadow. It had to have been a witch, as I felt a strong presence coming from it. I tightened my grip on my scythe before inhaling deeply.

"I'M DOWN HERE!" I screamed as loud as possible to get its attention.

The witch descended quickly before landing next to me. I was surprised just how humanlike she was, with only wings , a tail, and eyes that were black where the whites would've been. She was wearing a white bikini top with matching hot pants. She towered above me at what had to have been two meters high.

"What do you want from me?" she repli- OH MY GOD THE WITCH JUST SPOKE!

I was unable to reply, utterly stunned by what just happened.

Sekai obviously was doing the same, as she was making unintelligent sounds.

The talking witch only frowned before flapping her wings to take off into the sky, leaving us both staring in silence as she flew off without another word.

What the hell is going on here?

And why do I feel like that very question has been asked already?

Sekai came over her stupor and slapped me silly to get me back to my senses.

"We have to go after her." she said before running in the direction the witch went.

_**~Witch-Lamia~**_

I slowly approached the magical girl as lust began to take root in my mind. I want to make her mine. However, I stopped when I saw a shadow coming from something above. I looked up to see that it was Sentire Valere. I growled before rising up slowly as high as possible as the black snow began to fall. I heard her roar before divebombing straight into me. I braced myself, being able to keep myself standing while my body was screaming in pain from the force from the attack.

"I FOUND YOU!" the dragon cried out in rage before punching me in the face. "I AM NOT LETTING YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!"

I shoved her off of me and spat out the teeth that were knocked out. That was a mood killer.

"Damn you… After you refused my offer, you just had to try killing me huh?" I said in anger. "First Praedari and magical girls, and now you! I came here only to find a new comrade… but I changed my mind…"

I looked over at the magical girl as she and the Praedari watched in silence, though in her case, it was of innocent curiosity. I made up my mind, I am going to make her one of my mates.

"Just so you know, that magical girl is a murderer, I know you can smell human blood on her hands like I can. " I added. "But could you do me the favor and let me have that magical girl?"

Sentire Valere turned her gaze over towards the foreigner as her blue eyes slowly turned brilliant red.

She spread her wings out while unleashing a primal roar.

There was one thing that I had learned about her is that she will drop what she was doing to kill anyone who has brought harm to anyone, and killers really rile her up. I learned this out when I was running from her the other day, only for her to stop pursuing me when I went past a local thug who just finished beating a homeless guy to death. Even though I was close by, she opted to deal with him instead of myself. The bastard's head popped like a water balloon after she tore his arms and legs into countless pieces. It is apparently hardwired in her brain to protect others who can't defend themselves.

"Tsk. Looks like she's bent on killing you." I said to the foreign magical girl. "What do you plan on doing?"

I noticed the Praedari reach up to press something on the side for several moments. Still, I didn't get a reply when I saw the incoming tail.

**_~Puella Magi-Sakura Kyouko~_**

I slammed my fists onto my table in anger while gritting my teeth.

"I can't believe that bastard…" I said furiously. "Why would he do that?!"

"My guess it was to make the offer more appealing." Shotaro guessed before he looked at me with a serious face. "Do not blame yourself for whatever happened to you. It wasn't your fault."

"How do you know all this?!" I demanded.

"This info was compiled from what I learned from all the discussions I had with other magical girls." He stated before sighing softly. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'll make that furball pay for what he did." I said.

"Calm down for a moment, Sakura-san." Shotaro said. "There isn't anything you can do by yourself."

"I am calm!" I snapped back while raising my voice. "You don't know what I went through!"

"You're right, I don't know a single fucking thing." the boy said while slamming his fist on the table. " But just shut the fuck up and listen to me for a moment!"

I glared at him before wrapping my arms around my chest while growling a bit. He wants to say something to me? Fine, I'll humor him a little. Doesn't mean I'll like it thought.

The boy closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

"I can tell by your reaction that something really personal happened to you. Most likely your wish led to something bad happing to a family member or someone really close." He said. "And I bet you want to make Kyubey suffer for what he's done to you."

Damn… He hit it right on the head. But still… Why is he telling me this?

"Incubators are incapable of understanding how we feel." he continued. "And don't do anything reckless. Doing that is exactly what he wants you to do!"

"Then what the hell should I do?! Forgive him?!" I said in anger while pounding the table once more.

"Don't let the bastard have his way." the black haired boy said with a smirk. " What he wants is for you all to become witches."

I blinked in mild confusion when I saw him smirk.

"Remember what I told you. In Kyubey's eyes, you are only cattle." he continued.

I growled as I recalled that particular memory. It pisses me off that is how that furball views me.

"However, he is also underestimating us."

I looked up at Shotaro, curious by what he just said.

"Humanity has the capability of logic as well, which is solely how that fuzz ball works." he continued. "Our emotions are a hindrance on occasion, giving Kyubey the advantage. However, they actually lead us to try things that go against logic, and those methods do work."

"Where are you getting with all this?" I asked while calming down a bit.

"I told you that I am looking for ways to either destroy, or manipulate Kyubey's system for humanity's gain." he replied before sighing. "However, it's something that I can't do alone. And you won't be able make the bastard pay. I need as much help as possible to make this happen. Plus, if you think about it, destroying this system or hijacking it would be more satisfying than just grinding his furry little ass into paste."

I mulled over what I just heard. He had a point that I couldn't make Kyubey suffer for what his "system" did to me and my family. The bastard will never understand my pain and sadness. What he will understand is that we are more than mere cattle if we screw over his plans.

"Now to bring to what I wanted to ask you." Shotaro said while leaning forward. "Do you think its actually possible to thwart the furball?"

"I don't know honestly." I said before smirking a little. " But you got me curious with this plan of yours. After learning all that crap, Kyubey needs to be taught a lesson."

"I'm with you there." the older boy admitted before leaning forward a bit more. "You know… You're pretty cute with that smirk."

I blushed deeply before slapping his cheek hard enough to have him hit the wall face first. I had to admit, the way he was saying all that helped me calm down a lot Now that I was calm enough to think about it, I was originally just going to track down Kyubey and kill him as many times as possible with my magic. However that wouldn't work in the end, as that would've led to me becoming a witch. Which is what the damn bastard wants to begin with.

I then heard a weird ringtone of a cellphone just as Shotaro pulled out from the wall, his cheek covered by a red handprint. He immediately pulled out the cell and answered it.

"Moshi moshi." He said before falling silent.

A few seconds passed before his eyes widened in shock.

"Get everyone over there, Izumi. I'll be there as soon as possible." he instructed to the other person in shock.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I got a serious problem. It's witch related." he replied. "A comrade of mine signaled an alert for immediate backup. That's only done whenever we either encounter a very strong witch or there are multiple ones in the same area. Care to come? I'll let you use any grief seeds I have."

"Works for me." I said. "Just don't slow me down."

"Fair enough." Shotaro admitted.

"You go on ahead of me!" I cried out.

"What's wrong, Sakura-san?"

"I don't waste food!" I cried out before grabbing my cheesecake. I would rather get a box, but I was in a hurry.

Shotaro chuckled and nodded.

"Fair enough." he said.

_**~Puella Magi- Akemi Homura~**_

I allowed time to resume when I was outside again, pushing past the pain I was experiencing from the feathers that were imbedded within my back. The witch however was circling above me, patiently waiting for my strength to give out.

This one wasn't like the others… In addition to being unaffected by my magic, it was intelligent. Enough so that it actually pretended to be a normal one, and even faked being frozen in time like everything else, only to strike when I approached it so that it was in range of my handgun. It also solely targeted me when there were helpless humans around for it to feast upon.

I started feeling weak from my injuries. It aimed for my back, but yet it hadn't fired any towards my head for a kill shot. I looked up and growled. It kept out of range for accurate shots, yet was too fast for a RPG. The fact my magic is useless against it doesn't help either. I don't know if I can trick it into taking one of my bombs…

Dammit… I need to protect Madoka… But do I need to reset so soon? It has only been a few days since I went out of that hospital.

It was then that I saw a figure in a peculiar black outfit walking casually towards me. On his right arm was a dark gray armband. I looked at his hands and narrowed my eyes upon seeing the submachine gun he held in hand. Who was this person? Is he going to shoot me?

The black figure looked up and pointed the gun up. What was he doing? Only magical girls and those who can become them could see witches…

The clicking of the safety being deactivated made me instinctively pull out a handgun from my shield, pointing it at the figure.

"Don't get in my way, bitch." he warned me before opening fire.

The witch screeched in shock as the bullets struck it. I stood in disbelief as the figure stopped as the armband began glowing. In a flash of light, the submachine gun was replaced with an RPG.

"COME ON MOTHERFUCKER!" he cried out before sending the warhead in the witch's direction.

The first time I thought it was a warning shot, but this second attack proved that he was focused on the witch. I saw this was my chance to escape, leaving the witch to this man. However, that changed when a bullet caught me off guard by getting me in the shoulder. I looked up to see the man holding a pistol towards me.

"I don't think so bitch." he said. "Either you fight or die. Which is it?"

I grimaced while holding my newest injury with my free arm.

Who is this guy?

How was he bringing up those weapons like that? Was it magic? No… that's impossible. Men are incapable of using magic.

There are so many inconsistencies already, and now there's this.

**_~Praedari-Nu~_**

The four of us looked around once the roar stopped. The two magical girls prepped for battle while I put a hand onto Himari's shoulder.

"Listen, if there's a witch nearby, we need to run. You're a civilian and I don't have any knives I can use." I told her.

"What about them?" she asked, looking over at the magical girls.

Anzu smirked as she once again wore what she had on earlier.

"Don't worry about us. We can handle a single witch." she boasted while using a thumb to push up her visor, allowing me to get a peek at her eyes. "Anyway, once we deal with it, we should properly introduce ourselves."

As if on cue, a giant plush like feline leaped into view, landing not far from us.

Unlike the familiars, which were cute despite how scared I am of them, this one was just flat out scary. It had long yellow sabre like teeth while its skin was composed of patches of black fur and pieces of fabric, all barely held together like some half assed sewing project with raw muscle exposed in the spots. Its paws had black talons that were curved and razor sharp.

It was also wearing a red collar with a large bell on it as well as a matching bow at the tip of its tail. Its eyes were mismatched, the right being a glowing red orb from a fur patch while the left was a red button that was sewn on the fabric side.

This had to have been the witch.

"Wow that's one fucked up kitty…" Akiza muttered in disgust.

The feline eyed us all cautiously. However, it immediately leaped over us and the ring of black acid, running deeper into the labyrinth.

Himari immediately turned her attention to the left, in which the rest of us followed suit.

"_This is most interesting." _Kyubey said as he came into view. " _To think there were so many people in one place."_

"YOU!" Anzu cried out while clenching her fists.

"What do you want Kyubey?" Akiza asked calmly. "I told you specifically that we were to never see you again."

"_I have not come for you, I came here to speak with Nobunaga Himari_." the furball said.

"I won't let you!" I cried out while stepping out in front of the idol protectively. The two magical girls followed suit.

"_Oh… you can hear me as well?" _Kyubey questioned while looking at me with his blank face.

"So what if I can?" I asked. "I won't let you get a civilian involved on my watch."

"_I see from your outfit you're one of those Praedari_." the thing noted as it came forward.

Ripper-chan hissed while baring its teeth towards the white creature. Kyubey only looked at it in silence briefly before speaking up.

"_I see that she is here too…" _he said. _"What was she going by now? Cutter Jyo was it?"_

I was about to respond when Himari stepped forward , gently pushing me to the side. I looked at her face, seeing a look of determination on it.

"Let me speak to him." she requested. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"Don't do it." Akiza warned her. "He will lie to you."

"_I don't lie." _Kyubey replied. "_There is nothing to gain by doing that." _

"But you don't tell the full truth either." I added.

"_What makes you say that?" _the damn fuzz ball asked while tilting its head.

"I have my sources." I said while looking at Himari.

Kyubey didn't reply, instead turning his attention towards the idol.

"_Should we go someplace a little more private to talk?" _he asked.

"If you want to talk to me, here works just fine." Himari said firmly.

I couldn't help but smile underneath my helmet. I turned my attention towards Anzu and Akiza, who were both frowning.

"Listen, you two go after the witch, I'll stay here and make sure Kyubey doesn't get what he wants." I reassured them.

The magical girls both looked at each other before looking at me.

"Alright, but if you fail, we won't forgive you." Anzu warned me.

I nodded in acknowledgement before turning my attention back towards Kyubey.

**_~Praedari-Alpha~_**

I looked around while Kyouko came out of the restaurant while putting the last of her cheesecake into her mouth. I had to admit, for a girl her age, she was really cute. Plus I couldn't help but admire that spirit of hers. She was able to handle what I told her. I met some who broke down after learning that the soul gems acted as a shackle and that something bad happens to every magical girl, depending on the wish. Still, I was surprised that I was able to calm her down like I did. It was weird, she looked like she wouldn't listen to reason at all… but yet she did… Why?

I looked down at my armband, which was devoid of any soul gems. I left them back home, not wanting to cause the girls to enter their death state while I was away. I wondered what this armband could do, as I was never told by the Chief what it could do exactly when I received it.

"What's the hold up?" Kyouko asked, snapping me out of my train of thought.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something." I answered. "Let's get going."

"Where too?" the redhead asked.

"The place where the Himari! Concert was held at." I informed with a frown.

"That place? I know the way, so follow me." she said before taking off.

I followed suit, all the while pulling out a pair of shades from my pocket and put them on. Though it was night. I always carried these in case of an emergency. The lenses were made of the same material as the visors that the helmets of the Praedari uniform have, allowing me to see any familiars or witches.

It sucked that I didn't bring any guns along, but at least I had a switchblade knife on me.

As we ran off, I saw from the corner of my eye a girl around Kyouko's age with lime green hair in pigtails. She waved at me with a knowing smirk on her face, causing me to stop in place.

Before I got a good look at the girl, a group of people walked in front of her, blocking my view. When they left, she was gone.

_**~Welkin-Eligere~**_

I soared through the night sky, enjoying the liberation from gravity's pull. I tilted my head up slowly while ascending higher and higher towards the clouds. I then adjusted my emerald green wings, banking to the left while enjoying the view of the city below.

Flying at night was one of the few things I enjoyed. I felt like I belonged in the air.

I slowed my speed, aiming to land on a nearby rooftop. I glided downwards in a spiral, gradually decelerating until I safely landed on my feet. My wings then dispersed in a flash of light before returning to the emerald armband that they normally were when I was on the ground.

If Sampi's data is correct, then this town is where her quarry is to show up in two weeks time.

I wonder what is going to happen next, but no matter what, I don't think it's good. Even though we Eligere are all part of Welkin, not all of us are on the same page on everything. We all have our own plans and ambitions.

I wonder why the Triumvirate summoned me here. I openly stated that I would personally kill Digamma if I ever was in the same room with him again, and that was after I stabbed him in the gut in the last gathering of the Eligere.

I hated all this. Welkin is just as bad as that Kyubey.

I looked over my shoulder to see a teenage girl with green hair.

"Digamma's not someone we can just leave to his own devices." I said in English. "The same can be said about Welkin as a whole." .

"You never told me why you despise the very organization you work for." the girl replied in the same tongue.

"It's because what my partner told me that made me see the truth." I explained. "'We Praedari are ensnared in our own cycle of despair.'"

"Yeah… basically those three are sending many people to their deaths, and reward the ones who kill everything in their way. Those who are forced to be part of it only find despair if they form camaraderie or feelings towards their partner." she replied.

"I hope you didn't use your magic just now." I said.

The girl smiled.

"I didn't, so don't worry. I did use it on those two back at the restaurant. One of them was Digamma's Alpha."

"Which type?" I questioned.

"I think it'll be more enjoyable to watch it unfold without telling anyone." the green haired girl said mischievously.

The power to change one's personality and mood. It was scary because I have seen it in action before.

To be able to make the remorseless remorseful, the bravest into spineless cowards, bitter enemies into lovers…

What scared me even more was how little I knew of this girl in the first place. I don't even know her name in the first place.

_**~Praedari Delta~**_

I growled while looking at Alpha's pets, who haven't transformed yet. I wasn't here to babysit or wait around. I looked at the music venue that the alert came from. There were reports of multiple witches in the area, which is a rare occasion. Protocol states that if we were to encounter such a phenomena, we were to report it immediately. Locations like that are called hives amongst the Praedari, though there's no official term for it.

I pointed my rifle at the oldest of the three with one hand.

"Hey, mind telling me again why I need to wait with you?" I threatened.

Izumi only looked at me calmly before sighing.

"I know you won't kill me. You know just how protective Sho-kun is." she said without any trace of fear. "Anyway, we were instructed to wait until he showed up, as said by your superior. Remember?"

I clicked my tongue and lowered my gun. That magical girls never cease to piss me off.

I wished I could've been partnered with someone more bloodthirsty, like Omega.

A young member of the yakuza who joined the Praedari just so he can fully enjoy himself. Now he was someone I could work with happily. He kills indiscriminately, and only respects those who stand up to him when the gun's in their face. Plus his ability is perfect for him. Arsenal, the ability to store any number of weapons he wants and summon them with a single thought.

Arsenal, Barrier, Perceive, Flare, Conceal, Ensnare, Sprint, Flight… The abilities are as diverse as there are ways to die. I wonder who had the strongest ability of all the Praedari I knew about.

I must stop letting my mind wonder now. I need to focus on my mission once Alpha fucking appears.

_**~Witch-Lamia~**_

I flew backwards as Sentire Valere's tail slammed into my lower abdomen. At the same time, she used her wings to block the magical girl's attack. I landed and rolled a little bit before stopping. In a flash of light, the auburn girl appeared behind me before swinging her weapon down on my tail.

The blade phased through my skin, but I screamed in pain when I felt the blade severing my spine there. Immediately, all feeling of the lower half my tail was gone. I would able to regenerate quickly if the damage is superficial or a limb was severed completely… But not like this… I can't regenerate if there isn't any room if I'm connected to the dead weight. That was phasing magic she just used!

I felt panic starting to form in my mind. This magical girl has the means to truly leave me at her mercy…

A roar snapped me to my senses when Sentire Valere came forward, driving her fist into the magical girl's stomach. The auburn foreigner flew into the side of a building, phasing into it like a ghost. I watched the girl's face turn into once of enjoyment before vanishing. She deliberately took the hit and enjoyed it! Was she some kind of masochist?!

I moved as fast as I could, despite that my paralyzed end of the tail slowed me down. I couldn't restrain that magical girl with my ribbons, as she'd just go through them.

However, before I could make it far, I was greeted with the appearance of the witch that ruled this labrynth. It roared at me before I smiled when I looked into its red eye as it slowly approached me. I guess she doesn't see me as a threat due to my current situation. The witch was focused on Sentire Valere and the injured Praedari, who was keeping his distance. It was cautious… a trait not typical for a regular witch. I see… It looks like she has potential.

I opened my mouth and moved as fast as possible, sinking my fangs into the left foreleg just before it realized what happened. . The beast roared before swatting me away with its right paw. It didn't matter, I managed to inject my venom just in time, even though I unintentionally tore of a bit of her flesh with my mouth.

It was then that I saw the others show up. Two more magical girls appear from the same direction that the witch came from the same direction the witch came from, one white and one red. I then turned to the way Sentire Valere came from, seeing two black figures, one a magical girl, and the other a Praedari.

The draconic girl roared as she looked all around her. To her, there were enemies all around her, which was true.

"Wow… I didn't think there were so many others besides us in here." the black magical girl mused.

"I could say the same." I replied, gaining all the newcomers' attention.

At that moment, that masochist appeared and began groping my breasts.

"hey, I found your girlfriend." the new Praedari said while pointing towards me.

"I AM NOTHING LIKE THAT SLUT!" the black magical girl screeched while blushing furiously. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO TELL YOU I AM NOT A LESBIAN!"

The feline witch roared, bringing all undivided attention upon itself.

The new Praedari went over towards the injured one while the black magical girl bounced her scythe against her shoulder.

"Heh, I think I just hit the jackpot." she said eagerly while turning her back towards me and the masochist. "I, Cutter Jyo, shall be taking all your grief seeds and soul gems, ladies."

I noticed the foreign magical girl teleport . She appeared beside the black girl, attempting to do a surprise attack by bringing her cleaver down. Without looking, the one who called herself Cutter Jyo lazily tilted her scythe slightly to block the attack.

"Really? I saw that coming." she said lazily.

She then turned her attention towards the foreigner. The auburn had a carefree smile as Jyo poised her scythe for attack.

" Let's make this fun. I'll give you my soul gem if you can hurt me within five minutes." she offered without any trace of fear in her voice. "I'll even let you take a free shot to be fair. I won't even warp from this spot."

I could tell that she was planning to toy with Jyo. Even without teleporting , she would be untouchable through her phasing magic.

The black magical girl only grinned maniacally before bringing her scythe down at an angle.

The foreigner's eyes widened in horrified shock as the scythe blade swiftly sliced both her legs as Jyo's grin only grew when the blood spattered across her face. The auburn collapsed to the ground next to her severed limbs, staring at the girl in black in disbelief.

"H-How could you hurt me?" she asked. "I-I was intangible!"

Jyo grabbed one of the legs and tilted her head back while holding the severed limb up. She opened her mouth and squeezed some of the blood out into her awaiting maw. After a few seconds, she callously tossed the limb onto its owner's chest. She swallowed the crimson fluid and smacked her lips in satisfaction.

She then turned her attention towards the witch, which was surprisingly standing there, as if watching the gory spectacle. However, it wasn't acting in pain at the moment. I guess it would take a while for the venom to run its course for this one to see any noticeable reactions.

"I am the perfect hunter." Jyo announced before stomping her foot onto the Auburn's chest, forcing the air out of her. "My magic adapts to become the perfect countermeasure of the magical girl I see as my prey."

A fireball flew past the psycho's face, causing her to turn her attention towards where it came from.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" I heard the injured Praedari cry out towards Jyo. However as soon as he screamed, he immediately gasped in pain before holding his side.

"Oh… Was she with you?" the psychopath asked in slight surprise.

"Hey! You can't fight, you're injured, right?" the other Praedari asked before turning towards Jyo. "And you. What the fuck are you thinking attack others like that?! Ever thought that they could be with Praedari as well?!"

I turned my attention to the others. The other two magical girls were mortified by what they saw, the witch was still the same, and all that was left was the reawakened witch. She had a reaction that I didn't expect.

Sentire Valere was holding her head in pain. Obviously her instincts to kill were clashing against her desire to protect at this display. A killer she was set on killing being attacked by another. Protect one evil from another.

I smirked upon realizing this piece of information. That kind of inner conflict leaves her vulnerable, which is something I should keep in mind.

Despite being crippled now, I admit that this night has been most interesting so far.

"Okay. The freaky kitty is all mine." Jyo announced. "If anyone of you decide to interfere, I'll slice your fucking faces off."

* * *

_**~Checkpoint~**_

* * *

_**~Praedari-Alpha~**_

"We can save some time going through this place." Kyouko said before opening a box of pocky from who knows where as she ran.

I followed her into a lot that held an abandoned lot with a rundown warehouse on the premise.

However, I heard gunfire from nearby before seeing an explosion in the sky, causing both of us to stop. Through my shades, I could make out the image of some kind of bird that didn't appear outside of the lenses, the telltale sign of it being a witch or familiar, and judging by the size of it from where we stood, it was big.

However, the most alarming thing was that it was outside, not within a labyrinth.

"Sakura-san, did you just see that bird?" I asked.

The redhead held out her hand, her ring transforming into a soul gem that was flashing brightly.

"No doubt about it. It's a witch." she said with a frown.

"I am going to take a quick look." I said before I saw Kyouko shake her head.

"I don't think they'd let you." she said before pointing.

I looked in the direction she was pointing and I groaned when I saw the many swords and guns that were drawn by none other than yakuza thugs. Most criminal organizations were decimated in areas controlled by Praedari, except for one. I came to this town because it was one of those controlled sectors. The fact yakuza were around here meant only one person was in charge.

"Omega…" I muttered bitterly.

Of all the Praedari…Why did it have to be him?! A teenage yakuza who genuinely ENJOYS being a fucking Praedari.

"I don't have time to deal with you fuckers…" I said in a threatening manner.

"You shouldn't have come here to begin with then." one of the thugs countered.

I turned my attention towards my companion.

"This is going to get really messy. Run and find shelter immediately." I instructed her.

"I'm not afraid of these bastards." she said while biting into a piece of pocky. "As I've said, I've already been through hell."

I frowned as Kyouko changed into her magical girl outfit. The transformation caught the goons off guard, allowing me to close in on the gunman and drove my knife into his head from the chin.

"You're all going to regret stopping us while going the afterlife." I said coldly before extracting my knife and taking the handgun from the corpse as it collapsed.

Magical girls can be reasoned with, and their trust is genuine. Yet you can't reason with yakuza unless you have a lot of money, and even then, you still can't fully trust them. Scum like these guys must be put down. I didn't want to kill if I can help it, but life has taught me at a young age that one of the laws of the criminal underworld is either kill or be killed. I learned that while training to become a Praedari.

I knew exactly what they would do to Kyouko if they got their hands on her.

"Listen, this is your last chance to run. If you don't, you can't live here anymore." I warned the magical girl before using my newly acquired gun to pick off a few of the other gunmen. "These guys are yakuza, and they're not idiots either. They WILL find you if you get involved."

A sword from one of the yakuza members pierced me through the left shoulder, causing me to scream in pain before I fired several times into his face. I staggered backwards as the remaining Yakuza closed in mercilessly. I tried firing my gun, only to find out that it was now empty. I must've emptied it when I fired into that last guy…

Before the criminals made their move, a series of peculiar red chains emerged from the ground, creating something that resembled a chain linked fence before my eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" one of the remaining gunmen say in shock.

"I don't know why I feel like this." Kyouko said as she walked up to my side. "We only just met, but I feel like I need to help out…"

_**~Welkin - Digamma~**_

"The power to forcibly capture magical girls, that's one of the abilities of Enslave he isn't aware about." Sampi said with a smirk.

I nodded before saying, "I wanted to make sure Alpha wouldn't become corrupted by the power Enslave brings. Which is why he has no idea about how it's used outside of the original Ensnare."

My fellow Eligere smirked as she looked at the countless armbands that were displayed within the Armory.

"However, that armband can do so much more." she pointed out. "It can theoretically harness witches as well, as many are once magical girls."

I frowned before falling silent.

"However, there's more to it than just that." Sampi continued. "One can't exactly order around mindless beasts. No, the armband would change them into something that could."

My muscles became tense as I realized what she wanted now with Enslave. Why she was after the Harbinger.

She wanted to turn it into a weapon she could control.

"That is the true power of that armband." Sampi said as she grew more and more excited. "To amass an obedient army of anything you wanted as your soldiers, and it will also turn beasts into beings that can understand any order you give them."

"Do you have any proof about anything about that actually happening?" I asked, testing to see if she knew what I was hoping was still secret.

"Heh, of course there is evidence." She said before pointing a finger at me. "The proof of this is the witch Lamia. Though ever since your Alpha received your armband, she's been running rampant since her leash is no longer there, right?"

I growled while clenching my fists.

Damn that Sampi…

I brought her here in hopes of using her for my own means.

However, she has the upper hand here…

**_~Puella Magi- Sakura Kyouko~_**

"Sakura-san…" Shotaro said in genuine surprise when he looked at me. It took me a moment to realize that I encased us in what looked like a cage.

"So…I guess you made up your mind." the red eyed boy continued softly. "We're in this together from now on…"

To be honest, I don't know what drove me to protect him. It was like some invisible force told me to do it. Why would I help out someone like that? I was only looking out for…

My head immediately throbbed in pain, forcing me to grimace while bringing a hand up to my forehead. Damn it…I feel like my head's splitting in two. I slumped to my knees while the pain intensified.

"Are you alright?" Shotaro asked as he knelt beside me.

"I should ask you the same thing." I said before I saw him smile.

"Been through much worse." he replied before his eyes widened. "GET DOWN!"

He placed himself on top of me just before gunfire rang out across the night sky. I heard bullets ricochet off my makeshift barrier but I couldn't see a thing as Shotaro used himself as a shield. After what felt like an eternity, the cease of gunfire came with a loud screech followed by screaming and a loud thud.

"Well… that takes care of those guys…" I heard Shotaro say grimly.

I felt him get off of my body before I rose to my feet. I momentarily blushed when I looked at his face before turning my attention in the same direction as he was looking. The body of a large bird like witch laid on top of the crushed bodies of those yakuza with the ground partially depressed. It remained silent and still as if it is dead.

"What's this, another magical bitch?" I heard a boy's voice say. "Wonder if you have balls like that other one."

"Are you a Praedari?" I heard Shotaro speak up. "What is your call sign?"

"Praedari Omega." the new voice responded. "And who the fuck are you?"

"Praedari Alpha, I patrol Sector Q-13." Shotaro said firmly.

"Oh? So you're the shit who is rumored to love those magical sluts." the one called Omega said callously.

But what exactly are Praemari or whatever they're called? Still, this guy is an asshole.

"They're not sluts." Shotaro snapped in anger. "Where are you, you bastard?"

Stepping from behind the witch's corpse was a man dressed completely in black. From how he looked, he appeared like a Rider. However, what caught my attention was the smoking bazooka he was carrying on his shoulder.

"I'm right here, fucker." the man said.

_**~Puella Magi- Cutter Jyo~**_

I screamed as I swung my scythe at the witch's face. The monster's head immediately split open, revealing that the inside was some kind of stuffing, the grotesque plushy opened its mouth to roar as I stepped backwards.

So far I had no interference from the other magical girls, Praedari, or that weird snake girl.

I frowned as the cut I gave began to close as white stitches began to appear where the "wound" was to keep it closed.

My adaptation magic was easier to use with magical girls compared to witches. With witches, I must learn how they fight first so that I can adapt accordingly. But still, I actually liked that disadvantage against these enemies. It kept things interesting and fun.

I admit, when that foreign magical challenged me to hurt her like that, I could tell from the look of her eyes that she has killed humans as well for fun. However, she retained that innocent glint that someone who doesn't know better has. It pisses me off when I remember that look on her face.

I would've killed her right their, but I decided I should let it sink in that she shouldn't try to provoke strangers like that. You never know when you will meet someone who is superior than yourself.

She looked like she kills without realizing the consequences. I kill to provoke and entice. I kill magical girls to ensure that witches keep existing so that I can keep hunting them. To ensure my life keeps its purpose. To make me truly feel alive. To alleviate myself of absolute boredom. And to keep doing that, I have grown to enjoy every gory minute of it, as well. Cause and Effect. To see what happens in response to every helpless life I take, that has became one of my favorite pastimes when alone. That and to see what my actions reap.

I grinned as the feline swiped at me with its claws. I leaped back just before the attack was close enough, landing next to the amputated auburn.

"Wonder if I should feed you to the kitty." I mused to the girl while grinning in excitement. "I wonder how your Praedari friend would react."

She only looked at me in silence, her eyes dulled. Her mind was partially shut down to block out the pain.

Damn… I need her to be fully aware if I want her to learn anything.

Without another word, I quickly kicked my foot into one of the bloody stumps. The girl screamed in pain as life returned to her eyes. I turned away from the crippled magical girl towards the witch that slowly approached me in silence.

What is with these witches? The feline only retaliates briefly whenever I attack first, otherwise it just watches. I turned my attention towards the snake-human hybrid witch. . This one was able to talk, and kept its distance. The dragon one was acting like it was suffering for some reason. All witches I've ever encountered before these three were highly aggressive, especially once attacked.

I instinctively swung my scythe, cutting off the clumsily swung tail of the snake witch. However, when I looked at her face, she was showing genuine glee.

"Thank you for that, Jyo-chan." the witch said in gratitude. "Now I can recover properly."

Damn… She must have wanted that to happen.

Before I could react, the snake lunged forward towards the feline and sunk her fangs again. The plushy roared in pain as it raked its claws against the attacker's back, causing bloody gashes to appear. After a few seconds, the snake removed herself and began laughing.

"That should speed up your awakening!" she said in excitement.

The feline started to growl weakly as its red eye began drooping. It shook its head before taking a step forward.

What the hell?

At that moment, the red magical girl bolted forward and slammed one of her oversized fists into the cat's face, causing it to compress from it. The snake lunged forward, coiling what was left of her tail around the legs before grabbing the magical girl by the throat.

"I WON'T LET YOU INTERFERE!" she screamed as the two of them fell to the ground.

Meanwhile the witch began to growl weakly as it staggered. Its red eye began glowing as the black fur began to peel off, revealing patches of fabric underneath, causing the witch to become more like a stuffed animal with every passing second. It then opened its mouth and roared loudly before charging towards the Praedari.

**_~Praedari-Mu~_**

I held up my hand swiftly, creating a barrier just before the witch got any closer.

The witch began slashing against the invisible wall relentlessly with its claws while roaring continuously. The saliva from its mouth slowly turned into a sickly yellow froth.

"What the hell is with this thing?!" I cried out as I started to hear the barrier starting cracking from the constant force the witch was putting with every swipe.

I turned my attention towards my injured comrade, who was leaning against the wall of the plush building for support.

"Hey, who are you exactly? I'm Mu." I introduced myself quickly.

"Pi." he said quickly as I erected another barrier just as the first shattered. "Did you come… because of my alert?"

"I was already in here when you sent it out." I replied. "For the record, I honestly didn't expect any of this happening."

"Same here, bitch." Pi admitted in a casual manner.

"Don't call me 'bitch', you bastard." I warned in a low tone of voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect with that. Force of habit." the injured Praedari explained.

"Alright, as long as you weren't serious about that." I said before looking over towards Jyo.

"ANY TIME NOW YOU PSYCHO!" I screamed out.

Jyo chuckled and charged forward, her scythe ready to strike. However, just as I saw her prepare to attack, a blast of cold air swirled around the witch, ice forming all over its body. It spread all across its body, slowly transforming the giant plushie into a motionless statue.

"I don't think so!" the white magical girl cried out with an hand held out.

Jyo stopped and growled.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO INTERFERE!" she screamed before turning direction.

The white magical girl's eyes widened in shock as the psycho closed in. She quickly erected a wall of ice to protect herself. However I heard the maniacal laughter from Jyo as she swung her scythe into the ice, the blade embedded deeply into it.

"Did you not hear me, bitch? My magic adapts to counter whoever is my prey." she taunted as the curved blade started to glow a brilliant red. As it glowed, I saw steam starting to rise as the weapon began to melt the ice.

"JYO!" I cried out.

"BACK OFF, SHE ISN'T WITH ANY PRAEDARI, SO SHE'S FAIR GAME!" the psycho screeched back in response. She then screamed as she pulled her scythe as hard as possible, cutting through the frozen barrier with no difficulty.

"I-I am…w-with one." the white magical girl said fearfully as Jyo slowly rose her scythe up, poised to end the other's life at any moment.

"Who?" Jyo said darkly.

"P-Praedari N-Nu." She said. "

The psycho growled before swinging her scythe into the nearby building.

"DAMMIT!" she screamed. "THIS FUCKING SUCKS!"

The black magical girl glared at the white one in silence soon after before turning around to leave.

"I'm leaving… this is pointless to continue." she said in annoyance just as she extracted her weapon without looking behind her back. "The witch is yours, bitch."

With that, Jyo walked off with her weapon over her shoulder, leaving us all to deal with the frozen plushy and snake that was still coiled around the red magical girl.

"What the hell was that all about?" the snake asked incredulously.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

I understand her frustration about not killing any magical girls working with Praedari, but to just leave us with a magical girl who had her legs cut off and a guy with what looked like broken ribs?

**_~Civilis- Nobunaga Himari~_**

I fell silent as I mulled over what I just learned.

This white creature that's called Kyubey wanted to form a contract with me. In exchange, he'd grant me any wish I wanted. He told me that I could be free from the wretched life I despised so much. However, my companion pressed the furball for further details at points that sounded either too good to be true or were obviously omitted. She pointed out the exclusion of details such as soul gems and the negative repercussions of the wish.

Kyubey tried to evade answering some of these questions, but when I said that I wouldn't give him an answer unless he told me every important fact, both good and bad, the furball gave it directly. Whether it was reluctantly or not was impossible to tell.

I now knew the gist of things. That my wish isn't free, and that I could only move within a hundred meter radius of the soul gem. I also learned that I was to eventually become a witch once I become a magical girl. The white creature even admitted that all this was for some kind of system to combat universal entropy, whatever that was.

My mind went back to the wish. The way Kyubey said it, I could easily wish that my parents were dead or become a god. I only wanted one thing my whole life, which is to be free of my living hell forever. However, I didn't want to waste a wish on something so trivial like that. Besides, I want to do that on my own, with my own two hands. I won't even let death or becoming a witch stop me from doing that.

Wait a minute… Any wish I wanted… Not let death or becoming a witch stop me… Could wish to be a god if I wanted. Consequences to go with that wish… with that… only emotional pain, which I am no stranger too already… I don't want to die…

I see… That could actually work…

"I made up my mind." I spoke up, breaking my silence.

"_What is it?_" Kyubey asked. "_What is your wish?"_

"Please don't do this." Mu pleaded while holding my shoulders. "You don't need to sell your soul to this monster! You know what is going to happen once you make that contract!"

I smirked before putting my own hand onto the Praedari's shoulder.

"I'm going to exploit that loophole." I replied. "I figured out something."

"Loophole?" she asked in confusion.

"Just trust me." I reassured her. "And I'm sorry, but I can't pass up this opportunity."

"_Interesting, what is this loophole that you've mentioned?_" Kyubey asked, curious in my words.

"Here's my wish. I want to become a magical girl that will never die. And by 'die', I mean by any action, reaction, or consequence that I see fitting of that term. That includes becoming a witch or my soul gem being destroyed, assuming that it leads to death as well."

"_That kind of wish won't be of much use to me_." Kyubey said.

"Can you grant that wish?" I asked.

"_It is doable, however, is that what you really want? You won't know the repercussions for something like that._" the furball explained, presumably to discourage me. "_The same can be said for myself. As I'm incapable of seeing into the future._"

"Himari-chan… are you sure about this?" I heard the Praedari ask me with uncertainty. I nodded without any conviction.

Kyubey fell silent as I pointed at him.

"Grant my wish, you little bastard!" I demanded. "You want me to be a magical girl, so that's my one and only wish."

_"Very well…"_ Kyubey said before I felt a sharp pain from my chest, as if something was being ripped out from deep within. "_At least this won't be a total loss._"

I screamed in pain as I saw a light blue light coming from my chest. I grimaced in pain before slumping to my hands and knees as the light came out entirely.

"_Your wish has been granted. However, are you sure you won't regret this?_" Kyubey asked.

"I don't care what happens," I said as I saw the light dim, revealing what looked like a small Faberge egg made of a single deep sapphire blue gem. "I have been living in despair my whole life to begin with. I'll welcome anything that can let me escape that hell."

"_I see. Anyway, your wish has overturned entropy._" Kyubey said. "_Due to the nature of your wish, I honestly have no idea what will happen since nobody really did a thorough wish like this before. However, I can assure you that based on the nature of your wish, your magic won't be offensive at all_."

"Fine with me, as long as I won't die, I don't care." I replied.

"So… what are you going to do now?" Nu asked.

"I want to try my magic out." I replied with a smirk. "I have to fight these witches right? Since there's one here already, I figure, why not fight that cat we saw earlier?"

"Are you crazy?" she asked me.

"You heard my wish. Just think for a moment and you'll understand." I explained.

I picked up my soul gem before rising to my feet. Time to find out what I'm capable of now. And from that, figure out how to take back my life.

_**~Witch-Lamia~**_

I watched the black magical vanish from view, unknowingly lowering my guard at the moment. I learned this out when the magical girl I had coiled around got an arm free and grabbed my face with it. I tried to pry the limb off but with no avail. I felt my skull starting to give way from under the pressure, causing me to let out muffled screams of pain.

"Let go of me and I'll do the same." my captor-slash-prisoner said.

I immediately oblige without saying a word. As I started to uncoil, the pressure began to ease, but still held firmly. Once I completely removed myself, the magical girl let go of my face before rolling away from me.

Damn, external damage to my flesh was a simple fix. Limb regeneration only takes a few days at max, but bone fractures take a while to recover from if it's to my head. That and I have already lost a good portion of my tail has left me at a severe disadvantage.

I turned my attention towards the frozen witch. I opened my mouth to speak to it, only this time in a tongue no magical girl could understand. The language that only those who I awaken can understand.

"_**PaTCeC Ro FTiGH uP DNa HaDeT KeW****a!**_" I ordered. With each syllable, black archaic runes that spelled out my words materialized in a spiral around me.

I saw the ice starting to crack slightly as I spoke. I knew it, this witch had the potential as well. However, her awakening has been taking longer than usual. It was like she was resisting it. I was then grabbed by the throat by a large red hand.

"What did you do, snake?!" the red magical girl demanded.

"Basically told her to get serious." I replied with a smirk just as the feline plushy broke free of her icy prison with a resounding roar.

_**~Praedari-Alpha~**_

"So, what the fuck do you want me to do with you, Alpha?" Omega asked callously.

I saw Kyouko immediately snarl at the remark about her. I placed my hand on her shoulder while shaking my head. She looked at me in annoyance before sighing softly.

"She is with me, Omega. We have no quarrel with you here. We are just passing through to where a hive is located." I replied calmly.

"A hive? That's something you don't hear often." the masked Praedari said in amusement. "Still, if you ask me, just let it be."

"W-What do you mean?" I asked, startled by his comment.

"It'll be fucking boring if we wipe out all the witches around." Omega explained in an annoyed manner. "Life's a shit load more entertaining when there's something to do."

"Damn it." I said while clenching my fists. "Don't you get it?! The magical girls are in this deadly cycle that needs to be stopped!"

"Hmm? A cycle you say?" Omega questioned in slight curiosity. In a flash of light, his weapon was replaced with two handguns. Desert eagles, if I'm not mistaken. "So, are you saying that witches are created by this so called cycle you mentioned?"

"That's right!" I confirmed. "If we can work together with the magical girls, we can definitely find out someway to make witches extinct!"

Omega aimed both guns and opened fire upon me, causing me to immediately duck.

"I can't fucking believe this bullshit you're blabbering about." he said in disgust. "Can't you imagine where the fuck we'd be if there were no witches to hunt? How shitty life will be?"

"This isn't a fucking game!" I protested.

"You're wrong there, shithead." the Preadari interjected while twirling his guns with his finger triggers. "All Praedari are killers who enjoy this death game we're a part of, whether you know it or not. Do you get a thrill when you beat the shitty odds and kill something that can kill you with a single strike? What about the bloodshed? Admit it, you can't imagine life without any of this!"

"Doesn't the Yakuza give you enough excitement?" I asked, trying my best to remain calm.

"I love being a Praedari, it's way more exciting than it was when I was in the yakuza." Omega said after chuckling briefly. "There is no greater thrill than engaging in fucking death matches every goddamn night as the underdog and coming out on top."

"I don't want that kind of life." I countered. "I WILL stop the cycle."

Omega fell silent before aiming his guns once again.

"You're starting to piss me off, shithead." he said before kicking a handgun belonging to one of the dead yakuza over towards me. "Pick it up and kill that little bitch since that's what protocol says. Otherwise, I'll do it for you."

I reached through an opening and grabbed the gun. I looked at Kyouko, who was looking at me with a mix of fear and confusion.

"Don't worry, Sakura-san. I am not letting anything happen to you." I reassured her in a soft tone before priming the gun to fire.

I had three options.

I let Kyouko die and live. Kill Omega and become a fugitive.

It was those or the third option. I vowed never to kill a magical girl after meeting Izumi, and I couldn't risk dragging Kyouko and the other magical girls down with me for something like that.

With a smirk, I aimed the gun in Omega's direction.

"I told you before that my friends and I are trying to stop Kyubey's cycle. But I don't think I officially asked you, Sakura-san. " I spoke to the young redhead. "Care to join us? I think I can hook you up with an apartment."

Kyouko looked at me with confusion before a small smirk formed on her face.

"I'll think about it. " she said. "But first, we need to deal with this bastard first."

"We don't need to." I said before pulling the trigger.

The bullet missed Omega completely.

"I can't believe your aim is so shitty." the Praedari said in disbelief. "How the fuck are you a Praedari?

"Who said I was aiming at you?" I retorted.

Omega looked towards me before a loud screech filled the air.

"Get ready to run." I told the redhead.

I tell you, that witch was obviously very pissed when I shot it in the back. It was pretty clever to pretend it was dead, but there was one thing that gave it away. The corpses of witches always disintegrate whenever they're truly dead. This one didn't do that.

The witch screeched before turning its attention towards Omega, who began firing at it with his two guns. I turned on the safety of the gun and stuck it into the back of my pants.

"Come on!" I told Kyouko before grabbing her by the wrist. The barrier receded before I led her away from the two while they were focused on each other. I briefly leaned down to scoop up a sword while on the move.

I laughed when the redhead stopped to briefly flip off the unknowing Omega. I followed her lead and did the same. We both looked at each other and nodded.

"SEE YA LATER, MOTHERFUCKER/ASSHOLE!" We taunted loudly to Omega before running off.

Okay, the last part wasn't in сomplete synch, but who gives a fuck about that? That was quite satisfying to be honest.

_**~Praedari-Xi~**_

The Shirokage. A run down, seedy bar that criminals, mainly yakuza, once patronized. It was now the bar of choice for most male Praedari. Whenever one comes here, it's mainly to brag about their latest success or to have a good time.

I remained silent when I kicked the door open. Everyone who was inside fell silent as I walked down the stairs towards the bar. I was still in uniform, with my helmet and voice changer on.

"Rare to see you here at this time, Xing." one of the Praedari patrons said mirthfully.

Xing… a nickname that they call me here. I didn't know where it came from, but it stuck. I wasn't the most popular due to my position as Digamma's hunter. Then again, they didn't know that I was a girl to begin with.

"Have I told you not to speak to me unless it's important?" I questioned in a dark, low tone. "This is MY bar you know."

The Praedari raised his hands up in mock surrender.

"Have you heard the report from that faggot with that slutty magical girl? They stumbled into a fucking hive." he explained. "He called out to any available Praedari for back up."

I ran straight towards him before belting him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"What have I told you about language in this establishment?" I chided before grabbing him by the shirt and hoisting him up to his feet. "Do you remember what happened to the former Beta when he pissed me off?"

The Praedari gulped before nodding furiously.

"I really am on a short fuse right now, so make sure you mind your manners. Okay?" I asked before letting go of the shirt.

The moron immediately bolted, fleeing for his life. Not surprising, he did see me beat the former Beta to an mere millimeter of his life. I had to use tactics like this, in order to keep everything in line.

Excluding Digamma and the higher ups, there wasn't much of a chain of command amongst us. Even the Praedari who are designated as the leader of the pair or occasional group have any real power in the form of a rank. The ones who follow obey solely to ensure their own survival.

Without some kind of order here, constant brawls would've been the least of my problems

"Anyway, where is this hive located exactly?" I asked the entire crowd."

"Sector R-19. Also, there's been explosions reported at Sector S-19, where Omega patrols. " One of the uniformed Praedari replied. I turned towards him and noticed that slung behind his shoulder was a crossbow, a peculiar weapon to use these days when guns are available. Then again, some shoot better with bows than with fire arms.

"Why is this relevant to the hive?" I asked.

"It was only two clicks away from the hive." the Praedari explained in a cold tone.

"Thanks, though can I ask who you are? I haven't seen you here before." I asked.

"Katsuo Hara." the Praedari introduced himself. "I used to be with the police, but I'm now Praedari Rho."

"From the police? That's something you don't hear a lot of these days." I mused. "Anyway, I better go off to confirm this hive's existence. Interested in coming along, Rho?"

"I'll have to decline, I have just completed a mission and I'm low on bolts." the masked Praedari refused.

I nodded before turning my attention towards the patrons.

"Listen here, I will be coming back. If this place is trashed when I return, I will hunt each and every single one of you down and kill you. " I threatened before taking one of my clawed fingers and scraped it against the brick wall, the tips scoring into the masonry with little difficulty. "GOT IT?!"

A series of vigorous nodding and "Yes, Sir!" were the replies to my threat, except for Rho, who remained calm, as if unfazed by it.

I turned around and went up the stairs, leaving the patrons behind.

_**~Praedari- Alpha~**_

Kyouko, still transformed, led the way once again, leading towards our destination.

"Kind of pisses me off that I didn't go after that witch we left behind. " she grumbled before taking a bite out of her pocky. Seriously, where does she stash that stuff?

"Relax, I'll make sure you get a grief seed." I reassured her.

"We're almost there." she said, pointing to what looked like a large music venue. Nearby was a woman clad in black with a rifle and three younger girls.

Delta immediately turned and aimed her gun at the two of us.

"HOLD IT!" she barked, causing Kyouko and myself to stop immediately. "Who are you two?"

"Stand down Delta!" I spoke up, "It's me, Alpha!"

The Praedari growled and lowered her gun.

"About fucking time you showed up." She said in annoyance. "And I see you picked up another one…"

"Did anyone bring my suit?" I asked.

"It's in my car." Delta replied while pointing to a SUV.

I nodded before looking at Izumi.

"Izumi, mind if you do introductions for me? I need to change." I asked.

"Fine…" She replied while pouting a bit.

"Thanks." I said before running towards the vehicle to change.

**_~Puella Magi- Sakura Kyouko ~_**

I watched Shotaro run off before turning my attention towards the other four.

"So, who are you three?" I asked the three girls who were unmasked.

"I'm Izumi." the one with pale skin and blonde hair introduced herself before pointing to the slightly nervous pinkette. "This is Enoshima Fuuko." Izumi then pointed to the brunette "And she's Itou Nozomi."

"Sakura Kyouko." I said with a simple wave before finishing the piece of pocky I had.

"Judging by your outfit, you're a magical girl." Izumi said. "Just so you know, the three of us are just like you."

In a flash of light, Izumi transformed, revealing that she was in fact a magical girl as well. I couldn't help but look at the gold ring on her top that housed a blue gem. It was obviously where her soul gem was located.

Nozomi was the next to transform.

Her outfit was of a pleated bright green miniskirt and a matching tubetop that exposed her midriff. Her hands wore a pair of black fingerless gloves while her feet were wearing shoes. A green beret was worn at an angle due to her ponytail. Around her neck was a choker with a silver tag hanging from it. Embedded in that tag was a green star shaped jewel.

The brunette smirked before holding out her hands, summoning a metallic gauntlet with spiked knuckles.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

"We should be conserving our magic, Nozi-chan." Fuuko said in a worried manner.

Nozomi clicked her tongue before pointing towards me.

"Listen, if you're going to work with us, you better know what you're getting into." she said.

"Sakamichi already gave me the gist of things." I said before turning my attention towards the masked woman.

"The fuck do you want with me, bitch?" She asked.

"Excluding Sakamichi, are all you damn Pray Mari grade A assholes?" I questioned.

"Don't fuck with me, you little brat." the older woman threatened while pointing her rifle towards me. "And it's Praedari. Get it right."

"Fine." I said with a frown. "But you remind me of that damn Omega I met earlier."

The Praema- I mean Praedari- fell silent after that while lowering her gun.

"Hold on, you encountered Omega?" she asked. From the tone of her voice, it sounded like she wanted blood. "What happened to him?"

"Delta, please calm down." Izumi pleaded, trying to maintain the peace. "We're all on the same team here, right?"

"Piss off blondie!" Delta snapped.

"What's with the extra bitchiness today? On your period or something?" Nozomi asked callously.

"Itou-san, don't say such things!" Izumi said while waving her arms frantically " "We need to work together, everyone."

"Work together? Why should I even listen to you magical tramps to begin with?!" Delta spat before raising her gun again, this time towards the blonde magical girl. "I'm supposed to be KILLING you, not babysitting your candy asses!"

"I'll kill you if you hurt any one of the girls, Narumi." Shotaro said as he came out of the SUV, wearing the same black jumpsuit that Omega was wearing.

Strapped to his back were three large guns, but I couldn't tell exactly what they were but I saw the blade he picked up earlier fastened to his belt. Held in his hand however was a rifle aimed straight towards the head of the other Praedari. Without lowering his gun, he brought his hand up to his helmet to press a button.

"Praedari Pi, or anyone else in range, this is Alpha. Come in." he announced.

He fell silent as if listening to something.

"Yeah, it's me, Usagi, Sekai. What's going on? Any confirmation on Pi?"

Silence once again.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"Radio." Izumi replied.

"Okay, we're coming in, keep them safe untill Izumi gets to them. Alpha out. "

"Sounds like it's bad." Nozomi said with a frown.

"Yeah." Alpha said with a nod. "Three witches, with two that seem to be abnormals for their kind. In addition to Pi, Praedari Mu and Nu are already in there. They're the twins with bodies like gravure models, compared to Delta."

"Are you implying that I'm fat?" Delta asked darkly.

"No, bigger breasts." Alpha replied bluntly before continuing. "Anyway Pi is injured with what appears to be broken bones, while Jeri Mandeni has both legs amputated thanks to a serial killer called Cutter Jyo, who's a magical girl working with Nu and Mu. Also, Jyo has a tamed familiar under her control. That and the presence of an idol and unfamiliar magical girls."

"Care to simplify that?" I asked.

"Five Praedari, which amongst them are mercenary and a homosexual boxer, a tamed familiar that looks like a stuffed rabbit, an unknown amount of magical girls, including those present here, should point out that two are confirmed psychopaths. We are facing against three witches, a dragon like girl, a snake that is apparently immortal, and a berserk one that looks like a fucked up cat plush. In the crossfire is an idol."

Memories of those two bizarre witches came to my mind. I couldn't help but smirk a little. Last time I didn't want to take any chances, but this time, I wasn't alone. Still, I don't… Ugh, why am I getting a headache again? I shook head to clear my mind, and to alleviate the headache, which surprisingly worked.

"An idol, two psychos, Gravure twins, a gay boxer, a mercenary, a bunch of unfamiliar magical girls, a living plushy, you and myself against a snake bitch that just won't die, overprotective dragon-girl, and rampaging plushy… I can work with that." I said to Shotaro.

"Alright, Once everyone's ready, we're going in." he announced as he began walking towards the music venue's entrance.

"Sho-chan, wait! " Izumi cried out, causing the boy to stop.

"What is it Izumi?" Shotaro asked before the blonde pointed to her soul gem.

"Should you take our soul gems?" she asked.

"Remember how close you were last time to becoming completely black?" he asked, his tone heavy in worriment towards the girl. "I can't risk that with you again. I won't do it unless it's absolutely necessary for your survival."

"Sho-chan…" Izumi said, taken back by what she just heard.

"Enoshima-san, you better change." the lone male said before he resumed walking.

"R-Right!" the pinkette said before she was engulfed in light.

The magical girl outfit was nothing like I expected. What she wore was a strapless white top that had her shoulders completely exposed, while wearing a matching miniskirt. This was partially concealed by a cape that was tattered at the end, also white, but with red highlights. The cape hung around her neck by a gold clasp that had a diamond shaped gem that resembled a pearl in coloration.

Oh her head was a white witch's hat with the pointed end bent at an angle. By witch here, I mean the ones one would think of riding on broomsticks and all that crap. Completing her all white outfit were pointed boots that reached her knees, and gloves with oversized cuffs.

"Okay, let's get going everyone." Shotaro announced. "I'll explain the plan as we go."

Izumi was the first to follow, then Fuuko and Nozomi. I was next after them, leaving the bitch of a Praedari to take the rear.

I don't know what to expect, except for one thing.

This is going to be one fight I'm not going to forget.

In the distance, I heard the shouting of a familiar voice, followed by several explosions.

"Dammit!" I cursed loudly.

I wasn't the only one who noticed that. Everybody apparently paused when the explosions occurred.

"Sakamichi." I said.

"I heard the screaming as well." Shotaro said bitterly.

"Who is it Sho-kun?" Izumi asked.

"Omega…" he replied before he turned around. "Izumi, I need you to heal Jeri and Pi once you reach them. I'll take care of this uninvited guest. Everyone, watch each other's backs."

"You go with your little harem." Delta said. "I'll deal with Omega."

Shotaro remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"Fine, but make sure he doesn't interfere." he said. "Let's go, ladies!"

Delta ran in the opposite direction as the rest of us.

I had a really bad feeling about when those two meeting up.

_**~Puella Magi~**_

I sighed as I watched from the balcony, watching the countless people moving about down below. I wonder how many times I've been watching this now. The door opened, alerting that I wasn't alone.

Turning around, I smiled.

"Welcome home, Master Caruso."

A boy who stood taller than me only nodded in response. As usual, he was wearing his favorite black hoodie, with the hood up, as well as the black pants and boots, complete with that studded belt. I think he either idolizes a certain western superhero that much or just loves black that much. Though I have seen what he looked like underneath.

He had raven black hair that was kept under ear's length. His chin sported a small stubble with a moustache that was barely noticeable. His skin was fair tone wise, but there were two distinguishing things that stand out though. The first were his eyes. They were golden in coloration, and can be unsettling if you look at them for a long period of time. I know this from first hand experience and seeing the same thing happen to others. The second was that scar on his face. It was a line straight from his right eyebrow to the left corner of his mouth, crossing over the bridge of his nose. I don't know where he got it. My guess it is from his line of work.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

He nodded in response.

"Anything you're in the mood for?" I continued.

Master Caruso shook his head.

"Very well, I'll start preparations then." I said while bowing before I walked inside.

Dante Caruso, also known as Praedari Epsilon. He may look like a degenerate, and is really cynical, but he does care for us magical girls. Especially when he is supposed to kill us.

I closed the door behind me, only to smirk at what I planned to cook for him.

If there's one thing I know about my "handler", its that he can't handle his liquor. Besides, I like the drunk Caruso over the normal one. More talkative. The challenge is to slip the booze in without him realizing it.

**_~Praedari-Nu~_**

"Why did you become a magical girl?" I asked Himari once Shotaro-sensei ended his transmission.

The idol looked over her shoulder with a frown.

"To escape the life I am trapped in." she replied.

"How exactly?" I pressed.

She fell silent for a moment while looking forward again.

"I guess it'll be by killing my parents." she said.

I froze on the spot right there.

"A-Are you serious?!" I blurted.

Himari stopped as well before slowly turning around to face me.

"You don't know the hell I've been through." she said in anger while glaring towards me. "They dictate my every move, what I can and can't do, starve me for days when I do something that they don't like. They won't even let me decide if I want to go to college or not. All they care about is the money that I make as an idol. " she said. "THEY FUCKING SAID THAT TO ME!"

I was shocked by what I'm hearing.

"Why didn't you just wish for them to be killed?" I asked without thinking.

"That would've been a waste to use my wish for that." Himari said. "I decided to wish for something that only I could benefit from. Something that nobody could use me to gain, including Kyubey."

I was surprised. She really thought this out in such a short time. But what was that loophole she mentioned that was exploited?

"Listen, I am not driven by revenge." Himari's voice began to soften now. "I plan to make use of what I've gained to help you guys out afterwards."

"Really?" I asked.

"My parents are relentless in hunting me down, and they have gotten away with murder several times before. The ones they killed were those who tried to either stand up to them for me or I was becoming close with that were not part of their schedule for me…" she explained before clenching her fists. "The only way to escape them for good is to kill them. If not, they'll just put an even tighter leash on me when they catch me again."

I fell silent before walking up towards Himari.

"I don't think you should do it, even if they are fucking monsters." I suggested. " It'll leave a feeling that you'd never forget for as long as you live."

"How about I kill them for you?" Jyo asked as she came into view. "While it's not as high profile as you would be, my reputation would definitely rise if I kill the parents of a famous idol. That way, your hands are clean, and the police won't be out for your cute ass."

"Jyo?! Where's Sekai-nee?!" I cried out.

"She's dealing with the witches, don't worry, she's not alone. Some magical girls are with her. They said they knew you."

"Oh, Anzu-san and Akiza-san, yeah I know them." I spoke up before shaking my head. " Anyway, back up is coming in as we speak. We need to meet up with them."

"I see… Is it by chance that Shotaro you and your sister keep gushing about?" Jyo asked.

"It is him." I acknowledged before letting out a giggle at the sudden elation when I thought that I was going to meet him again.

"Anything I should know about, so that I don't screw up again?" Jyo asked. "I…accidentally cut off the legs of this one magical girl without knowing she was working with a Praedari. Don't worry, I made sure that the blood loss wouldn't be fatal with some delayed magic. Like to make the fun last as long as possible."

"Yeah, he has a group of magical girls with him, so if you encounter any, don't attack them." I said before pointing towards the psycho. "And you better pray that a magical girl called Izumi reaches the one you injured in time. Otherwise you've got more than just the police on your ass."

"Good point. Guess I shouldn't have ditched then." Jyo muttered before sighing.

"Anyway, could you possibly lead us to the others?" Himari asked.

The black magical girl crossed her arms and pondered for a moment before smirking.

"Fine with me. Just remember, you're still my souvenir, so stay out of the crossfire, even if you're a magical girl now." she replied before pointing towards me.

"I just have one question for little miss Praedari though before we go. If push comes to shove, would you become a magical girl to protect those dear to you, even if it befalls a large amount of despair? Answer to me like I'm Kyubey."

"I will accept my despair if it means protecting them from you, Incubator." I replied instantly.

"Straight to the point without hesitation. Impressive" Jyo said with a smirk before running off. "C'mon, we have to move it!"

"Why ?" I asked.

"It's a witch!" was the reply.

Himari and I looked at each other before looking behind our backs when we heard a loud screech. I immediately screamed upon what I saw.

Q: What is scarier than those rabbit familiars with rows of razor sharp teeth?

A: A giant white witch version of one that has tattered ears and its body covered in bloodstains, complete with a combination of those rabbit incisors being as long as swords and just as sharp with rows of shark teeth behind them. The stitching of the lips did little to keep the mouth from opening either.

Screaming like a banshee still, I bolted immediately with Himari following close behind.

**_WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE A FUCKING RABBIT FROM HELL?!_**

* * *

"Just how many witches are there?!"

"So, are you really against me or not, Sentire Valere?"

"Where am I?"

"Nya?"

"Why do you fight exactly?"

"God… I'm fucking tired of hearing all this cooperation bullshit of yours, Alpha."

"WHY WON'T SHE JUST DIE?!"

"What do you plan to do by all this Lamia?"

"You're not like me at all!"

"Kill Alpha? Count me in."

"Who do you stand with?"

"Humans are the real monsters. I fight solely to survive!"

"It's been a long time…"

"THAT IS AN ORDER!"

"Stigma..."

What was once as clear as night and day are starting to blur with the opposite, making it difficult to tell what is right or wrong. The defining lines are even harder to see when driven by powerful emotions or ideals. But still, once a goal is in sight, one must push forward.

_Next time: Am I the Monster?  
_

"Allow me to show you why I am the executioner."

* * *

I really was in the zone this time. Debated about splitting the chapter up, but it would have killed the flow that was going on there in my opinion if I did. Hope this wasn't a problem.

Anyway, Regarding Lamia's language. I wish that I could have actually used a font for the witch runes for the words instead of garbling it up like that, but I don't think they'd appear on the website. I want to play a little game with those interested. What Lamia spoke wasn't not some random jargon. I'm interested if anyone can figure out what she really said. Nothing to lose or gain here. Just a little fun. If anyone asks for a translation instead, I will comply.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hope to see you next time.


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